New York City Mayor Eric Adams congratulated his “Get Stuff Done” staff on a job well done, as he returned to the refrain “crime is down, jobs are up” throughout his 2024 State of the City address, given Wednesday afternoon, January 24.

The mayor chose Hostos Community College in the Tottenville section of the Bronx as the site of his speech.

The address opened with an invocation offered by clergy from six religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. However, matters of faith played only a small role in Mayor Adams’s 45-minute speech. He noted that both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia rose during the past year, but reassured residents that this is being addressed. “Hate has no place here in New York, and our police officers are here to protect every community,” he said.

Regarding the migrant situation in New York, the mayor said that the city had assisted 172,000 migrants and that he supported efforts to accelerate work permits for them. “Let them work,” he said.

“Stay focused, no distractions, and grind,” the mayor said, repeating it several times, in explaining how his administration addressed the migrant crisis.

“We have done our part, but we need others to do their part,” Adams said, calling on improved federal immigration policy, and federal assistance for New York City. “This is a national crisis and it requires national support,” he said.

Following performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” then the multi-faith invocation, then a two-minute introductory video, Mayor Adams came on stage to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’s “Empire State of Mind,” dressed in a gray, three-piece suit with matching tie. He dedicated his speech to all of his deputy mayors, whom he identified and recognized.

The mayor announced a new policy initiative to increase affordable housing in New York City, including plans to allow the re-development of office space left vacant since the pandemic into housing units. “Let us build,” Mayor Adams said, echoing sentiments that New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in her State of the State address on January 9.

Adams concluded by stating that in 2025, New York City was planning significant celebrations for its 400^th anniversary.

Adams, now in the third year of his first term, is expected to run for re-election in 2025. A native of South Jamaica in Queens, he was the Brooklyn borough president before being elected mayor in 2021, succeeding fellow Democrat Bill DiBlasio, who served for two terms. Mayors of New York City are limited to two consecutive, four-year terms.