New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday, Sept. 6, the transition of an emergency respite site into a new humanitarian emergency response and relief center at Austell Place in Long Island City. The news comes as, according to City officials, the number of asylum seekers currently in the city’s care approaches 60,000, and following the arrival of more than 110,000 asylum seekers in New York City since last spring.

 

“With an average of more than 10,000 asylum seekers arriving in our city every month, and nearly 60,000 migrants currently in our care, New York City has stepped up to meet the challenge of this humanitarian crisis, but we need additional support to keep pace,” said Adams. “The transition of this site into a new humanitarian relief center at Austell Place is an important next step in our efforts to do our part but, as we’ve said month after month, only more support from our state and federal partners and real policy change in Washington will truly address this crisis.”

 

City officials said the humanitarian relief center will provide a range of services, in addition to ensuring asylum seekers can reach their desired destination, if this is not to be New York City. They said the site at Austell Place was a vacant office building before being used as an emergency respite site.

 

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said the opening of the new center at Austell Place was a continued demonstration of the city’s efforts to support newly arrived asylum seekers.

 

“Now, more than ever, we need our state and federal partners to do their part to relieve pressure on New York City through a coordinated decompression strategy, increased financial support, and a faster pathway for asylum seekers to work and achieve independence,” she said. “Our city has cared for over 100,000 people seeking asylum, largely on our own, and to make this response sustainable, we need greater state and national support.”

 

City officials said that as asylum seekers continue to arrive in the City at an average rate of more than 2,400 every week, conditions on the ground required that the City transition the site to a large-scale congregate setting for single men. They said the humanitarian relief center will start by providing shelter for up to 330 single men, but, once expanded to full capacity, it will host a total of almost 1,000 asylum seekers.

 

New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr said the City’s “compassionate” approach to the unfolding asylum seeker crisis provides a path forward for the rest of the country to follow, including states and the federal government. “We continue on that path with the opening of another Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at Austell Place — where those arriving in this country having fled hardship will be cared for with the dignity and respect they deserve,” he said.

 

Since the latest humanitarian crisis began, according to City officials, it has taken fast and urgent action, opening 206 emergency shelters, including 15 other large-scale humanitarian relief centers already. They said the City has also opened up navigation centers to connect asylum seekers with critical resources; enrolled thousands of children in public schools through Project Open Arms; and launched the Asylum Application Help Center, which, they said, has already helped submit more than 3,000 applications for asylum.

 

Earlier this spring, they said the mayor released “The Road Forward: A Blueprint to Address New York City’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” detailing how New York City will continue to manage the influx of asylum seekers and advocate for support from federal and state partners.

 

Williams-Isom later played down any reports of internal bickering over asylum seeker policy and response between City, State and federal officials, saying in part, “All of this conversation about whether this is about the City versus the State, or versus Washington D.C. doesn’t make any sense because we are on the same team.”

 

She added, “Our failures are each other’s failures. Our successes are each other’s successes. We’re New Yorkers and we’re Americans and in moments of crisis like this, we are one and all, and we’re counting on our leaders to pitch in.”