New York opens a center for migrants arriving by bus

NEW YORK (AP) – New York City officials were preparing a large tent to open on Wednesday, a new temporary center to house immigrants transported by bus across the southern border states.

The relief center on Randall Island aims to be a transit point for adult males traveling alone – many from Venezuela – arriving on buses hired mainly from Texas and making the journey several times a week.

Spartan and subcompact, the tents include daybeds for up to 500 people, laundry facilities, a dining room, and telephones for residents to make international calls.

The city’s plan is to bring the unaccompanied men onto the scene once they reach the main bus terminal in Manhattan and host them there as they determine their next steps, according to officials. Families with children stay at the hotel.

“We need a different operation that gives us the time and space to welcome people, offer them a hot meal, a shower, a place to sleep, understand their medical needs, really work with them to understand what the their next step. ”Said Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.

The white plastic tents also include a space where migrants can meet with skilled workers to determine their next steps, as well as a recreation area with televisions, video games and board games. In the sleeping space there are rows of green loungers, each with a pillow, sheets and blanket, as well as some towels. The city said it could double the accommodation capacity of the tents if needed.

In recent months, New York has seen an unexpected increase in asylum-seeking migrants in the United States who have been sent from other states such as Texas and Arizona. The phenomenon has put pressure on the city’s reception system and has prompted the authorities to look for other places to host people and to propose temporary structures with tents.

The city’s homeless shelter system is now overflowing with more than 63,300 people. Although there are fewer families in reception centers than in the pre-pandemic years, the number of single men has skyrocketed since the spring, largely due to the influx of immigrants. There were more than 20,000 single adults in the system on Monday, 23% more than the average number of nights in July.

Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency this month, saying the increased demand on the city was “unsustainable”.

The tents were originally supposed to be located in a remote corner of the Bronx, but the project was moved due to the risk of flooding and criticism from immigrants’ supporters for the location’s remoteness. Iscol said the site on Randall Island was safe from flooding.

Activists continued to have reservations about the new site and wondered what condition the people would be in and if they would receive adequate support.

Randall Island is located in the waters between the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. Five bridges connect it to all three neighborhoods, and the city’s metro system is only on foot or by bus.

It has already been used for various purposes. There are several sports fields on the site, as well as the Icahn Stadium, an athletics venue. There is also a psychiatric hospital and a New York fire department academy.

AP