New York’s Public Libraries Avert Budget Cuts, Will Open on Sundays Again

In spite of the city’s economic struggle to accommodate illegal immigrants, its latest forecasts offer grounds for guarded optimism.
New York’s Public Libraries Avert Budget Cuts, Will Open on Sundays Again
People study in the Rose Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library on July 6, 2021 in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Michael Washburn
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Public libraries in New York City are to open their doors on Sundays again, having suspended the practice in November 2023 during a massive illegal immigrant inflow that placed pressure on the city’s finances and endangered services deemed nonessential.

More than 200,000 illegal immigrants have entered New York City since the spring of 2022—overloading city shelters and straining social services—with the full support of local officials.
Michael Washburn
Michael Washburn
Reporter
Michael Washburn is a New York-based reporter who covers U.S. and China-related topics for The Epoch Times. He has a background in legal and financial journalism, and also writes about arts and culture. Additionally, he is the host of the weekly podcast Reading the Globe. His books include “The Uprooted and Other Stories,” “When We're Grownups,” and “Stranger, Stranger.”
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