Press Releases

Binghamton, NY – U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) today called on Governor Kathy Hochul to launch a statewide campaign to identify job openings for Upstate New Yorkers.

In October, Governor Hochul directed the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) to identify businesses that have job openings for illegal immigrants. The NYSDOL conducted an exhaustive search, asking all businesses in New York about potential job openings for illegal immigrants, and identified nearly 40,000 job openings.

In a letter to Governor Hochul, Rep. Molinaro called on Governor Hochul to launch a similar campaign, with just as much resources and effort, to help Upstate New York residents find good-paying jobs.

Rep. Molinaro said, “Upstate New York job seekers should come first. If Governor Hochul can have a campaign that identifies thousands of job openings for illegal immigrants, then it’s within her authority to launch a similar campaign with just as much resources and effort to help Upstate New Yorkers land a job. When will Albany start paying attention to us?”

In Congress, Rep. Molinaro voted to pass a border security and immigration reform bill, joined Congressmen Pat Ryan and Mike Lawler in calling for the President to declare a Federal State of Emergency, and authored and passed bipartisan legislation he authored to prevent Governor Hochul from transforming K-12 schools into migrant shelters.

The full text of Rep. Molinaro’s letter can be found here:

Dear Governor Hochul,

I call on you to engage in a statewide campaign to promote the hiring of residents in Upstate New York.

This campaign should direct social service agencies to help those currently receiving government benefits to identify job opportunities, provide resume and interview assistance, teach financial literacy skills, and ultimately take a more active role in connecting job seekers with employers.

I call for this campaign in light of the recent report that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) published, at your direction, which identified nearly 40,000 jobs open to migrants. As a result of your directive, the NYSDOL has asked all businesses in New York about potential job openings for migrants. I only wish your administration had this much enthusiasm for helping existing New Yorkers who have been struggling for far too long.

It’s listed in the NYSDOL report that over 1,500 jobs are available for migrants in the Southern Tier. Yet, I will be the first to tell you that there are thousands of current residents in the Southern Tier who are barely getting by, living paycheck to paycheck, that deserve this job assistance your administration is providing for migrants. Your actions have made it clear where your priorities lie, but I will always stand to ensure Upstate New Yorkers are put first.