“Thanks to our smart management strategies, we’ve turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we’re announcing today is even more proof that we’re managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation,” Mayor Adams said.
One of New York City's most controversial immigrant shelters is set to close in January after the number of illegal immigrants in the Big Apple fell to its lowest levels in recent years, the New York Post reported. Mayor Eric Adams said the immigrant shelter at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, a notorious hot zone for crime, is one of 25 emergency shelters across the state that will close in the coming months.
"Thanks to our smart management strategies, we've turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we're announcing today is even more proof that we're managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation," Mayor Adams said in a statement.
City officials said that the number of illegal immigrants in NYC has dropped to under 55,000. This is a significant decline from the peak of 65,000 in June 2023. Residents have long complained about the crime illegal immigrants brought to the city, including panhandling, shoplifting, robberies, as well as several violent attacks on NYPD officers.
The Floyd Bennett Field shelter has been the subject of intense debate since its opening in August 2023. In addition to the violence and other illegal activities that afflicted NYC residents, illegal immigrants were also subjected to violent assaults at the shelter, particularly women.
"At the height of this humanitarian response, the Floyd Bennet Field activation served as a relief valve to provide critical shelter and resources to hundreds of families at their greatest time of need; and it has continued to serve as an integral component of the unprecedented system we established to receive and care for the more than 225,000 asylum seekers who walked through our doors," said Molly Schaffer, executive director of Asylum Seeker Operations at the Mayor's Office. "Today's announcement is a direct reflection of the tireless commitment of our teams and the tremendous work they do every day to ensure that people are ready to move on to the next steps in their journeys to self-sufficiency. New York City continues to lead from the front."
The Post reported that fifteen of the 25 immigrant shelter closures are spread over four boroughs: six in Manhattan, four each in Queens and Brooklyn, and one in the Bronx. The remaining ten shelters set to close are in upstate New York, including three in Albany.
Mayor Adams, a Democrat, has criticized Biden's open border policies, which have resulted in illegal immigrants flooding the Big Apple and putting a huge burden on local resources. He recently revealed that the city has canceled its immigrant prepaid debit card program, which provided hundreds to thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds each month for food and other services. Adams has also asserted that he would work with the incoming Trump administration to tackle the immigration crisis impacting New York City.
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