New York City will 'immediately' begin discouraging asylum seekers from seeking refuge in the self-proclaimed sanctuary city, warning migrants coming from the southern border that there's "no guarantee" they'll receive shelter or services, Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday.
"We have no more room in the city," Adams said during a news conference at City Hall, in what the NY Times describes as a "somewhat unexpected departure from its long-held status as a sanctuary city, and as a place that guarantees a right to shelter."
As part of the city’s shift in strategy, it will now require single adult migrants to reapply for shelter after 60 days, a move that the mayor said was designed to make room for families with children. Mr. Adams said the city would intensify efforts to help the migrants connect with family, friends or outside networks in order to find alternative housing arrangements.
If alternative housing arrangements are not available, single adult asylum seekers will have to return to the intake center and reapply for housing. It is unclear what would happen if there is not housing available at the intake centers. -NY Times
Pro-migrant activists aren't happy.
"I have worked with thousands of people over the years whose lives were saved because of the right to shelter," said Craig Hughes, a social worker with Mobilization for Justice, a nonprofit legal services group, in a statement to the Times. "The idea that there’s some imaginary place that people are going to go off to besides city streets is just false."
NYC has seen an influx of more than 90,000 migrants since the spring of 2022, of which close to 55,000 are still under the care of the city. When combined with the city's homeless population, New York is caring for a record 105,800 people across more than 188 sites, including 18 humanitarian relief centers.
Between July 10-16, there were 2,800 migrants who entered the city, according to the deputy mayor for health and human services, Anne Williams-Isom.
"Our compassion is infinite," said a senior VP at NYC Health, Dr. Ted Long, adding "our space is not."
The city has distributed flyers warning migrants there's 'no guarantee we will be able to provide shelter and services.'
"Please consider another city as you make your decision about where to settle in the U.S.," the flier concludes.
Unfortunately for New York, the city remains under a decades-old court order requiring it to provide shelter to anyone who needs a bed.
City comptroller Brad Lander said the announcement undermines the city's right to shelter, and "the defining role of New York as a beacon of promise inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty."
Housing advocates have called on NYC officials to make room in the shelter system by moving homeless people to permanent housing.
