SEATTLE - New York City Police Department dismantled an encampment outside a migrant shelter on Randall's Island, part of Mayor Eric Adams administration's stance against tolerating such gatherings outside the shelter.
The encampment torn down by police and park officers had grown larger outside the shelter doors, as some migrants started to camp outside after reaching the 30-day residency limit.
The city of New York is still sheltering around 64,000 people every night, city authorities have said. Over 200,000 migrants have arrived to New York City since 2022, but Adams said the city is down to receiving "a little over 700" asylum seekers a week.
Despite the continued support to helping and housing migrants, Mayor Adams and Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack made it clear on Aug. 13 that camping out in the streets is not allowed.
"We are continuing to work very closely with the entire team that's out of Randall's Island, and the issue of the encampments will be addressed," said Varlack. "We continue to enforce the existing rules on Randall's Island against unpermitted vending, tents and e-scooters," she added.
On the other hand, Adams said they do not want to be heavy-handed or insensitive when handling out migrant encampments, as it is more about finding out what resources are needed and "navigating people there as we deal with this humanitarian crisis."
The action came one day after City Hall addressed the encampments that have been set up near the migrant shelter on Randall's Island. Police say their objective is not to single out anyone based on their immigration status, but rather to crack down on crime.
On Aug. 14, NYPD members conducted a sweep and confiscated unregistered cars, stolen mopeds and motorcycles. "We don't care about your status, we're here to fight crime - whoever you may be - wherever you hang out - wherever you live," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
Randall's Island has been in the public eye recently due to crimes being committed near the migrant shelter. As reported by The Latin Times earlier this week, a man was taken to the hospital after he was stabbed in the abdomen during a dispute outside the shelter.
Also in late July, a woman who was staying at the shelter was shot and killed, while two other people were also injured. The gunman opened fire on a crowd gathered in a park for the results of Venezuela's presidential election.
Randall's Island migrant shelter is fully funded by New York State. Tent shelters were set up in August 2023 to help with the city's ongoing migrant crisis. The shelter goes across 6.4 acres of land and houses nearly 3,000 single adult migrants.
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