(NewsNation) — Two new emergency migrant centers are opening in New York City as it continues to struggle with the number of migrants who are coming to the area.
On Monday afternoon, migrants in New York City were informed the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center operating out of a warehouse at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal would be closing. To replace it, there will be a new shelter in Times Square’s vacant Candler Tower office building, which was once home to the busiest McDonald’s in the United States. Another one will be in a six-story commercial building in Brooklyn, the New York Post reports.
In a budget report released by the city’s comptroller last week, it was revealed over 90 shelters opened in the last year.
The report states that it’s unlikely that the shelters announced on Monday will be the last to open in New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office announced it is establishing a 24-hour Arrival Center to replace Port Authority to try to cater to the influx, as city officials continue to ask for more federal support.
“We need help from our local electeds. They should be telling us ‘here’s a location you could utilize,” Adams said at a news conference.
Adams’ office estimates that the number of migrants entering NYC could cost the city $4.2 billion.
New York City is a sanctuary city, meaning asylum seekers cannot legally be turned away. However, last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started sending busloads of migrants to places like New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Since then, New York City officials have said they’ve been overwhelmed with the number of people coming in from the southern border.
While New York City is a desirable location, it’s ill-equipped to handle the influx of 50,000 migrants over the last year.
“The service economy is strong, there other parts of the economy are robust,” Ronald Vitiello, a former Border Patrol agent who previously served as acting director of ICE, said. “It is a place where you can find cultural support from almost a part of the globe right there. There are people from all over the world that choose New York as a place to settle.”
New York City’s local Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is fully booked until 2032 for appointments to process migrants released at the southern border, the New York Post reports. This means those with claims for refugee status will be waiting nearly a decade before they get a hearing. Those who do not qualify for asylum status could fly under the radar.
NewsNation has reached out to ICE for comment.
