New York City Comptroller Brad Lander criticized the city government’s policy of limiting the stay of undocumented immigrants in shelters as “cruel” on May 9 and called on Mayor Adams to cancel it.
Lander held a press conference outside the immigrant reception center at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, accusing the city government of implementing a “cruel” policy of limiting the stay of undocumented immigrants in shelters. He stated that the policy aims to push immigrants out of shelters, regardless of where they end up, regardless of the impact on children’s education, and regardless of whether they can find housing, work, or support themselves.
According to a survey conducted by the City Comptroller’s office over the past five months, as of April 28, over 10,000 undocumented immigrant families have received notices that they are approaching their 60-day limit, including 19,497 adults and 18,149 children, with 51% of families already forced to leave shelters.
Lander criticized the city government for “arbitrarily” implementing the policy of limited stays, with minimal information provided to immigrant families about the possibility of applying for resettlement after reaching the limit. In addition to calling for the cancellation of the policy, he also suggested that the city government strengthen case management and tracking of undocumented immigrants to assess the effectiveness of assisting them in applying for work permits. The city government has not responded to Lander’s investigation and criticism.
Adams implemented the policy of limiting the stay of undocumented immigrants in shelters in October last year, with single immigrants limited to 30 days and immigrant families limited to 60 days, in order to reduce the burden on the city government. According to city data, despite a significant decrease in the number of undocumented immigrants entering compared to last year’s peak, over 4,500 people still arrive each month. The number of undocumented immigrants housed by the city government remains around 65,000 and has not decreased.