NEW YORK, CMC—New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams has introduced the closure of 25 shelters within the subsequent two months that have been getting used to supply shelter for Caribbean and different migrants.
Adams stated that the closure is as a result of administration’s profitable asylum seeker administration methods which have continued to drive down the variety of individuals within the metropolis’s care and cut back prices.
Adams stated the New York Metropolis administration had efficiently advocated for govt orders on the border by the Biden-Harris administration, which have considerably decreased the speed at which Caribbean and different asylum seekers are arriving within the metropolis and searching for and searching for care.
He stated that the variety of asylum seekers in metropolis shelters has decreased to its lowest level in over 17 months.
Immigration advocates say that lots of the migrants arriving in New York from the southern border of the USA searching for asylum and refugee statuses are nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
The mayor stated that New York State, which has been paying the prices of sheltering migrants, will proceed to reimburse New York Metropolis for the prices of equal care incurred at different websites throughout town.
Earlier this yr, Adams introduced that the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Reduction Heart at Randall’s Island in Manhattan will shut on February 28, 2025.
“Because of our good administration methods, we’ve turned the nook, and this extra slate of shelter closures we’re saying at the moment is much more proof that we’re managing this disaster higher than another metropolis within the nation,” stated Mayor Adams.
“Our intensive case administration, paired with 30- and 60-day insurance policies, have helped greater than 170,000 migrants take their subsequent steps on their journeys as a result of migrants don’t come right here to stay in our shelter system — they arrive right here to pursue the American Dream,” he added.
Mayor’s Workplace of Asylum Seeker Operations Government Director Molly Schaeffer’s On the top of this humanitarian response, the Floyd Bennett Area activation served as a reduction valve, offering essential shelter and sources to tons of of households at their most implausible time of want.
“Immediately’s announcement is a direct reflection of the tireless dedication of our groups and the super work they do daily to make sure that persons are prepared to maneuver on to the subsequent steps of their journeys to self-sufficiency. New York Metropolis continues to guide from the entrance,”,” Schaeffer added.
Murad Awawdeh, president and chief govt officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella coverage and advocacy group that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights teams all through New York, stated that “New York’s future success is determined by investing in all who name this metropolis dwelling, whether or not they arrived 30 days in the past or 30 years in the past.
“Housing households in congregate settings, resembling tents in distant areas removed from public transportation, grocery shops, colleges, and job alternatives, has been a flawed and short-sighted method from the start,” he instructed the Caribbean Media Company (CMC).
However Awawdeh stated whereas NYIC welcomes the upcoming shut of Floyd Bennett Area, “it’s not sufficient,” urging the Adams administration to take additional steps by specializing in humane and long-term options “that genuinely assist our latest neighbors.
“The town should prioritize creating pathways to everlasting housing that present stability and dignity, guaranteeing immigrant New Yorkers can construct their lives right here and contribute to our communities,” he stated.
Natalia Aristizabal, deputy director at Make the Street New York, one other immigrant advocacy group with 28,000 members, stated, “We’re happy to see that New York Metropolis is taking this preliminary step to guard the lives of immigrant households forward of Trump’s inauguration by closing shelters that solely home new arrivals.
“The Floyd Bennett Area shelter, which was by no means an acceptable web site to deal with households, is particularly susceptible as it’s located on federal property and would probably be focused by the Trump administration for deportation raids,” she instructed CMC.