NYC decision to move migrants from tent shelter to a school amid storm draws fire
Nearly 2,000 parents and children were evacuated from a tent shelter for migrant families in New York to a high school Tuesday night because of a winter storm.
New York City's decision to move nearly 2,000 migrants overnight from a tent shelter to a high school due to fears of an impending storm drew backlash Wednesday from parents of students at the school and others as the city struggles to house thousands of migrants seeking refuge.
The criticism included the city's continued use of the tent shelter on a remote, abandoned airfield in an area of Brooklyn that is at risk of coastal flooding from storms.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday afternoon that with winds up to 70 mph expected, the city was proactively relocating the migrant families from the tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn “out of an abundance of caution to ensure the well-being of those entrusted to our care.”
“While families are already in the process of temporarily being relocated, the city will ensure that essential services and the highest level of support are provided to all impacted by this decision,” Adams, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Migrants arrive at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York, during a storm on Tuesday. Gardiner Anderson / NY Daily News via Getty ImagesThe shelter at Floyd Bennett Field is one of more than 200 sites New York City has established to house the surge of migrants arriving in the city since 2022 — largely as part of a busing campaign by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, who is seeking stricter security at the southern border. New York, which has a legal obligation to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks for it, has struggled to respond to the thousands of people arriving in the city.
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