Texas National Guard troops block migrants from entering a high-traffic border crossing area along Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas on December 20.

Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

Democrats’ approach to the border crisis has been to minimize it—except when it burdens the cities they run. That explains the small mountain of money set aside for New York and other progressive sanctuaries in Congress’s omnibus spending bill.

Tucked into the Senate’s version is $785 million for migrant services such as food and shelter. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants the cash doled out to cities by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Awards will supposedly be determined through a competitive process, but Mr. Schumer has one recipient in mind. Politico reports that his hometown of New York will likely get a “substantial share” of the cash. Expect other Democratic strongholds to join the queue.

These cities have been clamoring for a bailout amid an influx of migrants since May, as asylum seekers released by the Department of Homeland Security head north. “We are in urgent need for help,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday, expecting about 1,000 migrants a week in the near-term. “It’s time for our state and federal partners to act.”

Yet this migrant pile-up is a direct result of the Biden border policy. Illegal crossings surpassed two million this year, overwhelming DHS facilities and allowing a greater share of migrants to be released in the U.S. on parole. The number of daily crossing has climbed by the thousands in recent weeks as the Administration prepared to end a border-control policy known as Title 42, which is being preserved temporarily by a Supreme Court intervention.

The brunt of the migrant crisis is borne by smaller cities in GOP-led border states. Among the hardest hit is El Paso, Texas, which declared an emergency Sunday after the daily arrivals climbed to more than 2,400. The emergency will help the city earn federal reimbursement for the services it provides, yet it was declared after about 80,000 migrants had been released into the region since August. Compare that with the about 30,000 sent to New York this year.

As Senate leader, Mr. Schumer could be playing a constructive role in fixing the border crisis by backing legislation to boost enforcement. Instead, he’s leaned into the old Washington game of throwing taxpayer money at a mess of its own creation.