A complex of giant tents built on an island will open Wednesday as New York City’s last temporary shelter for the influx of migrants arriving on buses from southern border states.
Randall’s Island Rescue Center is intended to be a temporary transit station for single adult men – many of them from Venezuela – arriving several times a week on buses hired primarily from Texas.
Spartan and subcompact, the tents include daybeds for up to 500 people, laundry facilities, dining and telephones so residents can make international calls.
The city’s plan is to take the men alone to the facility once they arrive at the main bus terminal in Manhattan and house them there for a period of days while the next steps are determined, officials said. Families with children are accommodated in a hotel.
“We needed a different kind of operation that would give us the time and space to welcome people, provide them with a hot meal, a shower, a place to sleep, understand their medical needs and really work with them to understand what is going on. happening to be their next step, “said Commissioner for Emergency Management Zach Iscol.
The white tents with plastic walls also include a space where migrants can meet with social workers to determine their next steps, as well as a recreation room with televisions, video games, and board games.
In the sleeping area there are rows and rows of green loungers, each with a pillow, some sheets and a blanket, and some towels. The city said it will be able to double the sleeping capacity of the tents if needed.
In recent months, New York has seen an unexpected increase in asylum-seeking immigrants who have been sent to cities from other states, such as Texas and Arizona. The influx has put a strain on the city’s shelter system, prompting officials to look for other places to house people and propose temporary tent installations.
The city’s homeless shelter system is now overflowing with over 63,300 residents. Although there are fewer families in reception centers now 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 reception system on Monday, 23% more than the nightly average in July.
Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency earlier this month, calling the increase in demand in the city “unsustainable”.
The tents were originally designed in a remote corner of the Bronx, but were moved after concerns over floods and criticism from immigrant supporters for their remote location. Iscol said Randall’s Island location was safe from flooding.
Supporters also remain concerned about the new location, questioning the conditions under which immigrants will be detained and whether the support they will receive will be adequate.
Randall’s Island is located in the waters between the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. Five bridges connect it to all three boroughs, and the city’s subway system is just a bus ride or walk away.
It has already been used for various purposes: there are numerous athletics fields, in addition to the Icahn Stadium, an athletics facility. There is also a psychiatric hospital and a fire brigade academy for New York City Firefighters.
