NYC residents outraged over migrant shelter placed near schools
New York State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss why she believes it isn't a good location for the shelter and the broader community concerns surrounding the move.
Hundreds of New Yorkers protested NYC's plan to turn a former school into a migrant shelter as the city continues to battle an overflow of asylum seekers with limited resources.
Parents took to the streets outside Staten Island's St. John Villa Academy to rally against the move, citing concerns surrounding public safety, since it would ultimately position the site near multiple schools in the area.
New York Democratic State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton called on the city to reverse the decision before migrants arrive during "Fox & Friends" Friday.
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NYC parents protested the location of a new migrant shelter located near multiple schools in Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)
"To me, this is another setback in giving this community an education center that they truly deserve," Scarcella-Spanton told Ainsley Earhardt Friday. "Most importantly, [it] is in an extremely quiet residential area, and the residents do not want this shelter here."
"This isn't something that's going away," she continued. "And I'm really encouraging the administration to utilize the relationships it has with the elected officials who know their communities best, and this is certainly not the right location for a migrant shelter."
Scarcella-Spanton said she was aware of hundreds of protesters who continued to line the streets up until the early hours of Friday morning.
A large banner over the protest site read "NO F---ING WAY!"
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The city purchased the academy after it closed back in 2018, and despite promises to make the location a school once again, officials are planning to move 300 migrants into the site in the coming days, WABC reported.
The report also noted three people were arrested in connection with the protests shortly after midnight.
Migrants await registration outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. The asylum seekers are forced to wait on the streets, since the hotel is currently at capacity. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital )
Mayor Eric Adams' office released a statement surrounding the community's backlash saying, "We located the vacant St. John Villa Academy to serve as one of our respite sites for single women and adult families. We understand community concerns and want to assure them that we are working to ensure the site is well-managed."
But Scarcella-Spanton reiterated the former school is not ideal for a migrant shelter site. She urged the city to reconsider the decision, doubling down on notions it is a "poor location."
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" It's not a good place for a site, and it's not too late," Scarcella-Spanton said. "They haven't brought the migrants over yet. It's not too late for the city to reverse this decision. If they could see what we're seeing on the ground, I know that they would… understand this is a poor location for these migrants."
"It's in the middle of a residential community, and they're going to keep coming out and protesting against us and nobody wants that," she continued.
Adams previously urged the Biden administration to declare a "state of emergency" on the migrant surge during a recent CBS interview.
CBS prefaced its sit-down with Adams by noting that the mayor’s office has recorded providing "’shelter and care’ for over 100,000 asylum seekers" since last spring. The segment also mentioned a new facility in Randall’s Island, New York, which provides housing, food and other basic amenities for "up to 3,000 people."
Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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