The massive tent city shelter at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn is scheduled to close next year, and the city plans to relocate the undocumented immigrants currently living there by mid-January.
Tuesday in the office of Democratic Mayor Eric Adams. announced He said he plans to close additional shelter space around the city, citing a decline in the number of individuals relying on taxpayer-funded shelter services.
“President Trump's re-election was the final nail in the coffin to ensure an end to this.”
The Adams administration plans to close 25 shelters, including a 2,000-bed temporary facility at Floyd Bennett Field that the city leases from the federal government through the National Park Service.
“The number of asylum seekers in city shelters has declined for 22 consecutive weeks and is now at its lowest level in more than 17 months,” Adams' office said in a statement. “New York State, which paid the cost of sheltering immigrants at Floyd Bennett Field, will continue to reimburse New York City for comparable care incurred at other facilities in the city.”
Adams attributed the closure to the city's “wise management strategy” in dealing with the immigration crisis.
“Our intensive case management, combined with our 30-day and 60-day policies, has helped more than 170,000 immigrants take the next step in their journey. Because you don't come here to live in the system, you come here to pursue the “American Dream,'' Adams said. “As we continue to successfully manage this response, we will continue to look for further opportunities to consolidate and close more locations and save taxpayers money.”
Molly Schaefer, the mayor's office's executive director for asylum seekers, said the tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field is a “relief facility” that provides “critical shelter and resources” at the height of the city's immigration crisis. He said that it was a valve.
In September, a 30-vehicle caravan of New York City residents protested against the potential renewal of immigrant shelters, arguing that it would lead to more crime and violence in the neighborhood.
Rep. Jamie Williams (R-Brooklyn) previously told the New York Post, “Immigrants are coming, knocking on doors, stealing packages, recruiting all over the place in front of supermarkets, harassing people. “It's touching the heartstrings of people,” he said.
“And this is not what our community is about,” Williams continued. “Floyd Bennett Field is not a place to hold immigrants. It's a flood zone.” [with] There is no infrastructure. Therefore, if you find yourself in such an environment, you don't need to do anything. They will end up on the streets because they don't have jobs. ”
More than 100 residents staged a similar protest against the evacuation center in June.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (RN.Y.) reacted to the announced closure.
“Today's announcement that the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter will close next month, just days before President Trump's inauguration, shows that President Trump's policies are already having an impact on our nation's immigration crisis. '' Malliotakis said. WABC TV.
“While we continued to increase pressure by rallying, protesting, passing legislation, and filing bipartisan lawsuits to terminate leases, President Trump’s re-election will ensure this shutdown and disrupt order in our communities. Recover and put the American people first,” she added.
Adams is scheduled to meet with Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump's next border czar, on Thursday.
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