Immigrant Advocates Urge Mayor Adams to Reconsider Relief Centers

New York, NYNew York City Mayor Eric Adams announced his Administration will open “Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers” to receive asylum seekers arriving from Texas. The centers will be operated by the NYC Department of Emergency Management (NYCEM) and NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), with one confirmed location in Orchard Beach in the Bronx, one location to be determined, and potentially more centers opened in the coming weeks.

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition said:

“Yesterday, Mayor Eric Adams announced his plans to open multiple relief centers in New York City, a plan reportedly designed to relieve pressure from our shelter system. While we recognize there is urgency in meeting the very real needs of asylum seeking families while our shelter system remains over-burdened, we believe that any effort to open a temporary relief camp at Orchard Beach is ridiculous and likely to cause more harm than good, especially as the fall turns into winter. This center raises serious concerns relating to access to transportation, care, and other supports that people need to get back on their feet, and to fully integrate into our city. Moreover, we fear that what was meant to be a temporary solution will become an inadequate permanent one, which will lead to long-term negative impacts on the individuals housed there, as well as becoming a stain on New York City’s reputation as a welcoming city. Until the Adams administration provides an updated and concrete written plan that allows for input from organizations like ours, public health, and housing experts – to ensure the health and safety of all residents – we cannot endorse this effort. The shelter crisis requires a real solution that meets the urgency of the moment with a long term solution that provides New Yorkers with permanent housing, not a temporary half-measure. Every New Yorker deserves better. We urge the Mayor and his Administration to reconsider this plan, and create a real solution to keep everyone safe and secure, now and into the future.”

Background: The New York Immigration Coalition’s Welcoming New York Campaign is advocating for a coordinated City, State and Federal response to asylum seekers being sent by bus from Texas to New York.

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