New York City Mayor Eric Adams is one of several Democratic leaders who have expressed anger toward Republican officials over efforts to relocate a comparatively small number of undocumented immigrants in order to reduce the stress on overwhelmed border communities.
Despite the Big Apple’s self-proclaimed status as a “sanctuary city” for migrants, Adams has complained that the city’s resources have been depleted due to the actions of GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others. With the recent expiration of a COVID-era policy that served to expedite deportations, the rate of illegal immigration is expected to increase.
Now, city officials are calling on local property owners to volunteer their own real estate to provide housing for arriving immigrants.
According to an email one private contractor reportedly received from the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, the city acknowledged its desperation from the very beginning, stating: “We need your help!”
From there, the message claimed that “New York City is currently experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis” that requires immediate assistance.
New York City is bracing for more migrant arrivals on Thursday. NYC has already provided shelter for more than 60,000 asylum seekers since last spring, according to the city. pic.twitter.com/1DsDqwzc4Y
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) May 8, 2023
The office asked recipients of the email to “evaluate your inventory — both spaces you own as well as other ideas you have — and let us know if you have anything available for potential use as soon as possible.”
Requirements included in the message included that locations include “bathrooms and preferably showers” and occupy at least 10,000 square feet “contained within a building.”
Optimal spaces include “gyms, recreation centers, dorms, etc.,” the office added.
Furthermore, the email advised that such spaces be “available quickly” for use providing “immediate relief to asylum seekers.”
New York City has already transformed hotels into makeshift migrant housing and is contemplating a plan that would create such a shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel and cost an estimated $225 million over the course of three years. As it stands, the city is spending approximately $8 million each day providing housing for roughly 36,500 migrants citywide.
Manhattan’s Row NYC hotel is one location that has been overrun by migrants, and employee Felipe Rodriguez described the results.
“There’s too much alcohol, too many drugs, and too much violence,” he said, calling the situation “a free for all.”
