(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is opening more taxpayer-funded emergency housing shelters as the city struggles to care for nearly 60,000 asylum seekers.
Adams announced Monday that his administration will set up a makeshift tent city on New York City’s Randall’s Island capable of housing up to 2,000 men.
“As the number of asylum seekers in our care continues to grow by hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond, it has become more and more of a Herculean effort to find enough beds every night,” Adams said in a statement.
The plan has been criticized by the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, which sent a letter to city officials last week saying the move would mean canceling sports and recreational activities for neighborhood children.
“Behind every hour lost are dozens of New York City children who are denied space and time to play,” the group wrote. “We urge you to select a site that does not mean destroying green fields, turning away young athletes, and flying in the face of the many supporters who have worked for three decades to build this resource – New Yorkers working on behalf of New Yorkers, year after year.”
Over 93,000 migrants have come through New York City in the past year amid a surge of immigration along the southern border. The city is providing housing, food and other necessities for more than 50,000 migrants, which Adams says has pushed the emergency shelter system to the brink.
While the Biden administration has reported a decrease in illegal border crossings since Title 42 was lifted in early May, Adams says the city is seeing an average of 2,500 people arriving daily. He has urged migrants not to come to the Big Apple and tightened the city’s emergency shelter regulations.
The city has opened more than 180 shelters in city-owned buildings, hotels and other locations and 13 humanitarian relief centers serving as processing centers for new arrivals.
Adams has sought to relocate migrants to upstate hotels, but the move has been met with resistance from county leaders. He filed a lawsuit against 30 counties that have enacted local bans on migrant relocations.
New York City alone expects to spend more than $4 billion caring for migrants over the next two years, and Adams has called for more state and federal funding to help cover those costs.
While New York will receive about $124 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for its Shelter and Services Program, Adams and other officials say more help is needed.
“We will continue to work with the governor and elected officials across the state to address this crisis as New York City continues to do more than any other level of government,” Adams said. “We will continue to work with the governor and elected officials across the state to address this crisis as New York City continues to do more than any other level of government.”
