New York City Mayor Eric Adams has revealed his solution to the influx of 13,000 homeless migrants into the Big Apple — opening two refugee-style outdoor camps for them.
The mayor unveiled the plans Thursday along with photos of the planned aid sites, which resembled the type of tented landscapes often seen in war zones.
One of the locations will be in Orchard Beach in the Bronx. The location of the second site has not been confirmed.
In a press release Thursday, Adams hailed the plan as a victory and proof that he understands his “moral duty” to the thousands of Venezuelan migrants who currently arrive in New York City each week.
The release gave no details on when the sites will open or, crucially, how many beds they will contain.
Meanwhile, thousands of migrants continue to be sent each week from Texas and Florida, where Republican leaders say it’s high time Democrats like Adams understood the true magnitude of the crisis.
In addition to the two migrant sites, Adams Bronx has awarded Family Network a $34 million contract to set up beds for migrants and the homeless in the same area.
That’s in addition to the 6,000 hotel rooms he’s already allocated for migrants in Manhattan.
Adams, who claimed the new relief sites would help solve the problem in New York, said in a press release Thursday: “More than 100 years ago, Ellis Island opened its doors to welcome those who longed to to breathe freely.”
An example of the type of location NYC Eric Adams plans to open to accommodate the thousands of migrants who arrive each day. One will be going to the Bronx and a second location has yet to be confirmed. Adams claimed it was a moral victory. The tents include rows of beds with thin-looking sheets in an flysheet, just as winter is approaching
An aerial view of a sample site. Describing this as a moral victory, Adams said the issue must be treated as a humanitarian crisis
“Now more than ever it is clear that we are once again dealing with a man-made humanitarian crisis.
Adams says it’s unfair for leaders in Texas and Florida to send the migrants to him – even though NYC tops all of their refugee lists
“While other politicians have abandoned their moral duty to assist incoming asylum seekers, New York City refuses to do so,” he said.
In photos of a sample site, cots are lined up in rows inside the flysheet.
Adams said they would only stay there for up to “96” hours and then be taken to desired “settlement” locations.
“This is not an everyday homelessness crisis, but a humanitarian crisis that requires a different approach.
“Therefore, the Humanitarian Relief and Assistance Centers will be the first point of contact for asylum seekers, providing them with a range of services and support while families determine their next steps.
“These emergency response actions represent what we know needs to be done during this humanitarian crisis as we continue to ask for support from our federal and state partners to continue this work.
“Like the generations that came to our city before, New York will provide the foundation for the thousands who are coming to our city now to build a better life,” said Adams.
The city bearing the brunt of the crisis is El Paso, a Texas border community of just 600,000 full-time residents that now sees thousands of Venezuelans and other migrants arriving each week.
Locals who run shelters and food banks yesterday asked the Biden government for help in an open letter.
They also added that contrary to Adams’ claim that it is inhumane to drive the migrants from Texas to New York, almost everyone wants to go there.
“About 20 percent of them want to go to New York,” Barrow wrote in an open letter on Wednesday. “The city has chartered buses to New York to support those who desire this goal.
“I don’t know of anyone who has been put on a bus to New York who didn’t want to go there,” Blake Barrow, CEO of the El Paso Rescue Mission, said in an open letter.
He added that despite having the most hands-on experience with people crossing the border, no Washington officials have been in touch with them to offer assistance or seek their expertise.
Pictured: A bus carrying migrants arrived in New York City on Sunday, September 4
Migrants arriving in New York City earlier this month. Republican mayors are warning Democratic counterparts they will continue to send busloads of people until they denounce Biden’s border policies
“The immigration center became so overcrowded that the government started loading migrants onto buses and dropping them off at shelters. The rescue mission has taken in about 500 migrants.
“All are from Venezuela. You need showers, good clothes and food.”
He added that the city desperately needs government help but is being ignored.
“The number of migrants coming to El Paso is so large that it is overwhelming the shelters and support services that the city can offer.
“Of course we need a well-coordinated, federal solution to this problem, but so far no one in Washington has asked for our opinion.”
