Since last summer, Texas Governor Greg Abbott first started bussing migrants to New York City. Mayor Eric Adams has welcomed them but he called Abbott anti-American. In a few months, the number of migrants became more than Adams and the City could handle.
After spending millions of dollars, the mayor is looking for other places to house migrants.
A spokesperson for Mayor Adams said:
"We have already opened up more than 150 sites to shelter migrants. Respite sites have always been meant for very short-term use when we don't have a placement. These are basically temporary waiting rooms until we can find placements for asylum seekers when we have a massive influx of asylum seekers into our intake system and we run out of space. Our goal is to not use these sites, but like we've said, we continue to receive hundreds of migrants every day even though we are out of space. When we find an alternative placement, we move migrants."
As the office of Mayor Adams tries to find housing for migrants, he may get some support from New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul is looking at several SUNY campuses to act as emergency shelters.
Governor Hochul said:
"We are looking at many SUNY campuses right now. And again, there's a sense of urgency. So we'll be announcing very soon an offering to the mayor which sites. we have to make sure that they will work, the timing works, the students are gone. And then we'll be able to talk to the mayor and his team about what use they want to have."
The governor did not mention the exact locations but migrants could be moved to Buffalo, Stony Brook, or Albany.
Over 41,000 migrants are currently housed in 150 hotels in New York City.
In the meantime, Mayor Adams’ office is quietly opening a new shelter in St Brigid’s, a vacant Catholic school in East Village.
NY1 confirmed the shelter opened to migrants on May 25.
Since May 1, New York City has opened six respite centers. These include the judo gym and St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church in Astoria, Queens, an unused school in Claremont in The Bronx, the vacant Touro College office building in Midtown, the old Police Academy Gym in Gramercy Park, and a former school on Staten Island.
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