On January 10th, Mayor Adams of New York City announced the closure of a new round of shelters in the city, including 13 immigrant detention centers in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and some of them are located in Chinese residential areas. By June of this year, a total of 46 shelters will be closed by the city government.
The list of shelters to be closed includes:
(1) Brooklyn’s BK Way, Hall St Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC), Holiday Inn Express in Sunset Park, The VYBE BK.
(2) Manhattan’s 99 Washington Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (99 Washington HERRC), The Stewart HERRC, The Watson HERRC.
(3) Hotel Nedia in Long Island City, Queens.
(4) Holiday Inn and Staten Island Inn in Staten Island.
(5) Ramada in Yonkers.
The city government stated in a press release that the closure is due to the city’s successful management strategy, which has led to a continuous decline in the number of people in need of care for 27 weeks. Among the shelters to be closed this time is the city’s largest shelter, the Hall St Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center, which accommodates 3,500 people. It is expected that by June of this year, the number of beds in New York City-owned shelters will decrease by 10,000.
The mayor stated that so far, New York City has helped 78% of immigrants who have come to New York, which is about 178,000 asylum seekers, “take the next step in pursuing the American Dream.”
The mayor also mentioned that they have purchased 53,200 plane tickets for immigrants to help them reach their desired destinations. Since the spring of 2022, New York City has assisted in processing 95,000 work permits, temporary protected status, and asylum applications.
Currently, there are 51,000 immigrants in city shelters, down from 69,000 during the same period last year. Since spring 2022, the number of immigrants arriving in New York City has exceeded nearly 230,000 people.
Adams also stated that the city government’s policy is to save $2.8 billion for the fiscal years 2024 to 2026.