The controversial immigrant shelter at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn will close in January as the number of asylum seekers in the Big Apple plummets to its lowest level in more than 17 months, City Hall officials say. announced.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the Floyd Bennett Field location is one of 25 city-run emergency shelters in New York City and upstate New York that have already closed or will close in the coming months. He said that it is planned to be done.
“Thanks to our smart business strategy, we have turned the corner, and this additional slate will
The shelter closures we announced today are further evidence that we are successfully managing this crisis.
more than any other city in the country,” Adams said in a statement.
The Floyd Bennett Field shelter has been at the center of New York's heated immigration debate since it opened in August 2023. Local residents of Marine Park, the Rockaways, and other communities have consistently complained about a revolving door of immigrants occupying their spaces.
“At the height of this humanitarian response, the revitalization of Floyd Bennett Field served as a relief valve providing critical shelter and resources to hundreds of families in their time of greatest need. “The Mayor's Office of Asylum Seekers has continued to serve as an integral part of the unprecedented system we have established to receive and care for the more than 225,000 asylum seekers who have passed through our doors.” said Executive Director Molly Shafer.
“Today's announcement is a direct reflection of the tireless efforts of our team and the tremendous work we do every day to ensure people are ready to take the next step on their journey to self-sufficiency. “New York City continues to lead from the front,” Schaefer said.
Residents who live near the city's shelters claim the new immigrants are bringing shoplifting, panhandling, ditch scams and other decadent activities to their neighborhoods.
The former airfield, located just off Flatbush Avenue, was a dangerous place not only for local residents but also for the immigrants themselves. Last December, one asylum seeker was subjected to domestic violence, while others faced gun seizures and numerous violent arrests.
And in January, almost all migrants had to be evacuated from the airfield in the middle of the night because strong winds threatened to blow away their tents.
Of the 25 announced closures, 15 are spread across four boroughs, including five in Manhattan, four in Brooklyn and Queens, and one in the Bronx.
The remaining 10 shelters are in upstate New York, including three in Albany.
More than 170,000 immigrants have “taken the next step toward self-sufficiency” since intensive case management services began in October 2023, according to a City Hall press release.
In October, Adams announced that the Randall Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center would close on February 28, with 26 other locations expected to close in the coming months.
The tent complex at Floyd Bennett Field can hold up to 2,000 migrants at a time. It's unclear how many people are currently staying at the shelter or where they plan to go after it closes.
