NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams has announced new rules on how and when asylum seekers can be brought into New York.
CBS New York is taking a closer look at the new system and how organizations are helping those arriving.
Alexander Rapaport helps run the Masbia Soup Kitchen Network, which has several locations in the city. He said the amount of asylum seekers the organization has been providing food and supplies for has increased by 15%.
And now during the colder months, he says, “We would give them brand new shoes. People who came, some of them came with their flip flops. Some of them came totally barefoot. Now people need coats. People need other things to keep them warm. They are coming from places where they never saw a New York winter.”
This comes as the city says more than 7,000 migrants entered the intake system in just the past two weeks.
Mayor Adams issued an executive order Wednesday, saying, with 32 hours notice, charter buses will be required to drop off asylum seekers in New York City only between 8:30 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday at designated locations.
“Once that grace period of 32 hours ends, we expect full compliance,” said Lisa Zornberg, City Hall chief counsel.
Drivers and bus companies that don’t comply could face up to three months in jail, fines up to $2,000, and could even have their buses impounded.
The city said it has been sending notices to bus companies.
“The NYPD has a variety of tools at their disposal, including seizure of evidence, impounding of evidence, but this is going to be treated like any other law,” Zornberg said.
READ MORE: New York Legal Assistance Group, advocates for asylum seekers in NYC, face looming budget cuts
According to city data, of the 157,600 asylum seekers who arrived in New York City since last spring, tens of thousands have had applications filed for asylum, work authorization, and temporary protected status. Less than half, 67,000, remain in the city’s care.
Meanwhile, organizations like Masbia are helping the city’s newest New Yorkers get on their feet until they’re able to work and find a place of their own.
“We don’t get phased by a few more thousand people coming a week. We can handle this. We are the country that sends people to the moon. We could comfort a few thousand people a week,” Rapaport said.
The mayor said the executive order went into effect immediately.
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2023-12-28 23:30:00
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