New York, NY—This week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued an emergency executive order to phase out the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) shelter system for asylum seekers within 45 days. The HERRCs were not subject to the same basic requirements (like spacing, number of beds, kitchen amenities) as homeless shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS).

Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:

“The HERRC system should have never been created in New York City – and we opposed it from the beginning.