What you should know
New York City is stepping up its efforts to transport migrants out of the city as its shelter system reaches capacity, establishing an office dedicated to providing asylum seekers with free one-way tickets to anywhere in the world. The City Council confirmed the establishment of a new “ticketing center” in Manhattan as its latest attempt to relieve pressure on its shelters and finances following the arrival of more than 130,000 asylum seekers since last year. The city has stressed that The travel offer is voluntary.
NEW YORK — New York City is stepping up its efforts to transport migrants out of the city as its shelter system reaches capacity, establishing an office dedicated to providing asylum seekers with free one-way tickets to any part of the world.
The City Council confirmed the establishment of a new “ticketing center” in Manhattan as its latest attempt to ease pressure on its shelters and finances following the arrival of more than 130,000 asylum seekers since last year.
Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has called the situation a crisis and has begun warning that shelters are so full that immigrants will soon be forced onto the streets as winter approaches.
“I can’t say this enough. You know, we’re out of the room,” she told reporters this week. “And it’s not a question of ‘if’ people will sleep on the streets, but when. “We are at full capacity.”
The city’s plan to offer transportation to migrants builds on previous efforts to send asylum seekers elsewhere, although the establishment of a dedicated ticketing center marks a renewed emphasis on the strategy.
The city has stressed that the travel offer is voluntary.
The mayor’s office has recently limited adult immigrants to 30 days in city shelters and 60 days for immigrant families with children. Immigrants, most of whom arrive without the legal ability to work, can reapply for housing if they cannot find a new place to live.
A spokeswoman for Adams said about 20,000 people have received 30- or 60-day notices. Less than 20% of people who have exceeded the limits are still in city shelters, she said. City Hall officials have said such statistics are proof that their policies are encouraging immigrants to find alternative housing.
Adams is also seeking to suspend a unique legal agreement that requires New York City to provide emergency housing to homeless people. No other major U.S. city has such a requirement, and the mayor’s office has argued in court that the mandate was never intended to apply to an influx of immigrants. This month, a judge ordered the city to begin mediation talks with homeless advocacy groups to find a solution.
The mayor’s office said it has rushed to establish more than 200 emergency shelters to house migrants, including renting space in hotels and building large-scale facilities. More than 65,000 immigrants are in shelters in the city.
Adams said he expects the influx to cost about $12 billion over the next three years.
2023-10-30 17:09:35
#NYC #opens #office #offer #migrants #oneway #tickets #city
