New York City Faces Influx of Immigrants, Struggling to Provide Shelter

New York, Aug 23 (EFE).- New York City received 3,100 immigrants last week, the highest number in recent weeks, a flow that is leading to the tent shelters that have been erected in recent days are filling up fast.

According to data released today by the Mayor’s Office, more than 104,400 asylum seekers have arrived since the flow began in spring 2022, of whom 59,300 are in city care, including nearly 20,000 children.

This number of people – to whom it provides shelter, meals, medical and social services and education for children – rises to 110,900 when homeless New Yorkers are added.

This influx has prompted the city to open 206 shelter sites, including two large tent-filled concourses, one with a capacity of 2,000 and another for 3,000 men, which are filling up quickly. The federal government has authorized the use of a disused naval air station, whose contract has not yet been signed by the relevant authorities, with room for 2,000 people.

“This is not sustainable. I think New Yorkers understand that,” Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Anne Williams-Isom, said today at the conference week to talk about immigrants, where she reiterated the claims that have been heard since they began to get there: “we need help from the federal government,” which has so far been silent on the humanitarian and fiscal crisis facing the city.

A Siena University poll revealed this week that 82% of New Yorkers consider the influx of immigrants “a serious problem” and 54% think it is “very serious.”

Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration has received some financial aid from the state, but has not listened to their demand that Gov. Kathy Hochul sign an executive order that forces localities under her jurisdiction to welcome immigrants. The city began sending buses of migrants to hotels upstate this year but faced court orders preventing it from continuing with that action.

A court order obliges the city to provide shelter to whoever requests it and today there was a court hearing on the matter. Both the city lawyers and the Legal Aid organization, which represents the immigrants, indicated to the judge the need to have other spaces for shelter.

“We would all be better off if the governor took control of the situation and made sure people could go where they need to go,” said Legal Aid attorney Joshua Goldfein.

Both the mayor and Hochul have called on the federal government to speed up work permits for new arrivals so they can leave the city’s shelter system and settle where they want to go.

The judge did not issue a decision regarding the right to shelter.

2023-08-24 00:32:16
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