Migrant 'Excellent Swimmers' Could Be NYC's Lifeguard Solution, Says Mayor

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has proposed using migrants to address the city's lifeguard shortage, claiming they are "excellent swimmers." However, the suggestion has sparked criticism from some quarters, with NBC's Tom Llamas denouncing it as "racist."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has floated the idea of using migrants to alleviate the city's lifeguard shortage, saying they are "excellent swimmers." The suggestion has drawn criticism from some quarters, with NBC's Tom Llamas calling it "incredibly racist."

At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams said, "We have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers and, at the same time, we need lifeguards — and the only obstacle is that we won't give them the right to work to become a lifeguard."

"That just doesn't make sense," he added.

Llamas, however, criticized Adams' comments, saying, "It's incredibly racist and I am shocked and really upset that there hasn't been more outrage in this city."

"How do we have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers and, at the same time, we need lifeguards — and the only obstacle is that we won't give them the right to work to become a lifeguard," he said.

Llamas questioned whether Adams' suggestion was based on stereotypes about migrants' swimming abilities, asking, "Where would he get that from, unless it had something to do with crossing the Rio Grande, or because some of them may come from places like Cuba or Haiti, or another island?"

Power Malu, executive director of Artists, Athletes, and Activists, also condemned Adams' comments, saying, "Once again, we have an administration that's deflecting attention off of their incompetency and mismanagement, and pointing the finger at the migrants."

Malu said that the administration would often blame migrants for the city's financial woes while also praising them and saying they should be allowed to work.

Adams also suggested that migrants could fill other job vacancies in the city, such as food service workers and nurses.

"We have all these eligible people waiting to work with the skills we need to fill the jobs but we are unable to allow them to work because bureaucracy is in the way," he said. "That just does not make sense."

New York City has been facing a migrant crisis in recent years, with over 195,000 migrants entering the shelter system since 2022. Over 65,000 remain in the system.

The Mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.