(NewsNation) — Migrants at a shelter in Staten Island, New York, are being blasted with recordings telling them to leave, according to exclusive reporting from the New York Post.
Neighbors are using speakers to broadcast a recording in five languages; English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Chinese and Urdu, telling migrants the shelter is infested with rats and mold, played at 117 decibels.
According to reporting, the idea came from Newsmax personality John Tabacco as a way to engage in what he called “psychological warfare.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams has battled objections to shelter sites around the city as migrants arrive by the busload. Under the city’s right-to-shelter law, housing must be provided.
Adams has pleaded with the federal government for help, as well as asking other cities or states to help shoulder the burden of housing migrants who are bused in from border states.
While the shelter has reported sewage overflows, there are no reports of rats or mold at the location.
Flyers are also being distributed at a processing center in Manhattan, telling migrants Adams lied to them, they will have no privacy or showers and the building in Staten Island isn’t safe for habitation.
The flyers also imply Staten Island is separate from New York City rather than being one of the city’s boroughs.
Neighbors told the New York Post the campaign did appear to be effective, with some migrants turning around or leaving the shelter.
