New York, NY—Today, Mayor Eric Adams announced the February 2025 closure of the Randalls Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC), which houses single and married adult asylum seekers in congregate settings.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“New York should be investing in the future success of everyone who lives in our great city, whether they arrived here 30 days or 30 years ago. Cramming people into congregate settings in tents – in locations far away from public transportation, grocery stores and jobs – has been a recipe for failure since day one. It is welcome news that the City will be closing the Randalls Island HERRC. We encourage the City to close other inhumane HERRCs (especially Floyd Bennet Field, which subjugates families to unsafe conditions), and to ensure that anyone who needs it has access to safe and dignified shelter. Our industries need new workers, our schools need new students, and our culture needs new life. To move into a future where we can seize on the vast opportunity that asylum seekers present to New York, we call on the Adams administration to expand access to CityFHEPS housing vouchers to low-income New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, invest in legal services to get people on the path to legal status and work authorizations, and end the 30- and 60-day shelter limits. The City must enable our newest neighbors to put down roots in a community, so that they can thrive in their new lives as New Yorkers and more successfully contribute to our economy and culture.”