New Yorkers are reportedly leaving the Big Apple in massive numbers as the surge in illegal immigrants continues to strain city resources, according to new data.

In 2023, New York City lost 78,000 residents, lowering its total population to 8.26 million, down from a record 8.8 million reported in early 2020, according to recent census data acquired by the New York Times (NYT). The estimate is on top of the more than 126,000 residents the city lost in 2022. (Related: Illegal immigrants in New York City are leaving their shelters to go door-to-door begging for money and food.)

The exodus from New York can be attributed to the accumulated years of poor policymaking by its elected officials, according to E.J. Antoni, a research fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis.

“New York City is a victim of terrible decisions by its leadership, and what we are seeing is that the people who live there are now understanding that,” Antoni said. “In fact, it is difficult to find a public policy implemented by that state or city that can be pointed to as an example of doing it right. The streets are full of potholes, crime is out of control, and the overall quality of life has gotten to the point where a lot of people are looking around and saying, ‘Heck with this, I’m leaving.'”

In total, the NYT report estimated that from April 2020 to July 2023, the city lost more than six percent of its population, or almost 550,000 residents. Officials had previously estimated that the city would reach a population of nine million residents within two decades. This projection now needs to be revised.

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City officials have also pushed backed on the NYT‘s numbers, claiming that the new census estimates did not fully account for the growing number of illegal immigrants – who are counted as residents in population estimates. The burgeoning migrant population in the city would have resulted in a significantly smaller decrease in population than is being reported.

According to the Department of City Planning, the estimated population decrease needs to account for the over 180,000 illegal immigrants who have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022. This does not include the approximately 64,600 migrants housed in city housing centers.

New wave of illegals driving out native New Yorkers

Antoni notes that in The Heritage Foundation’s investigation, this new wave of migrants who have been surging into the city illegally have been one of the primary factors driving out native New Yorkers from their own city.

Antoni notes that many native residents aren’t just leaving the city – they’re leaving the state and primarily traveling south. The main factors, along with the influx of migrants, include higher crime rates, soaring cost of living and the decreasing standard of living – all of which are made worse by the increasing amount of resources being delegated to care for the growing migrant population.

Authorities have blamed some of the surging crime and violence on growing numbers of so-called “asylum seekers” coming to New York City with undeclared affiliations to Latin American street gangs, some of which are known for drug smuggling, human trafficking and murder.

“What goes on in Third World countries is happening on the streets of New York – every day, any borough, with no consequences,” said Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone, Queens) of the New York City Council.

Paladino, one of the handful of Republicans on the 51-member council, specifically cited Venezuelan migrants with affiliation with the notorious Tren de Aragua gang as a growing concern for New Yorkers. Tren de Aragua has been expanding its criminal connections in the U.S. and is also known for its collaboration with the notorious El Salvadorean gang MS-13.

“Tren de Aragua engages in extortion, kidnapping, robbery, homicide for hire — these guys are hit men — drug and human trafficking, smuggling, all kinds of different things,” Gregg Etter, a criminologist at the University of Central Missouri who studies the Venezuelan gang, said. “One thing about this group is they’re extremely adaptable and they have a very short learning curve.”

Etter said Tren de Aragua is responsible for a spate of robberies in the city. They also hack into stolen phones and wire money from the accounts of the victims to their leaders in South America. Afterward, the devices are shipped to Venezuela, where the phones are wiped and resold.

“They’re from these impoverished countries where they can’t eat, so they rob people,” Paladino said.

“I don’t see the tide turning,” Paladino added. “If the mayor really wants to do what he needs to do, that’s using the power of the pen with an executive order.”

Read more stories like this at InvasionUSA.news.

Watch this clip of a regular New Yorker being accosted by thugs on his way home from work.

This video is from the HaloRock channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NYTimes.com

WashingtonTimes.com

Brighteon.com