What NYC residents really think about city’s effort to shelter migrants
New Yorkers share whether the city has prioritized migrants over the homeless as illegal immigrants protest outside the luxury hotel refusing to relocate.
NEW YORK CITY – New York City residents are torn over Mayor Eric Adams' approach to housing illegal immigrants, which resulted in a multi-day standoff between the city and a group of migrants refusing to relocate from a taxpayer-funded luxury hotel in Manhattan to a shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
"I heard that our guests are not being treated very nicely, and I think we should do better," said Olaf, the owner of Red Hook Coffee Shop just two blocks from the cruise terminal. "It's a travesty that we feel it's necessary to treat people this way, people who have already experienced trauma on so many levels."
But Michael felt New York needs to do more to help its own citizens before dedicating resources to migrants.
"We have homeless that have been here forever that need places to go and everything," Michael, a Brooklyn resident who works close to the migrant shelter, told Fox News. He added that there are "people that were born here that needs help here, and we're not even helping our people."
NEW YORKERS REACT TO MIGRANTS ON THE STREETS PROTESTING POOR SHELTER CONDITIONS:
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"We have to be welcoming," one man in Manhattan said. "I think it's important that we work with everybody and make this a nice place for people to grow and achieve the American dream."
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that 63% of New York City voters don't believe the Big Apple has the ability to accommodate the migrants, and 82% of voters think the federal government has a responsibility to assist the city.
Another frustrated Manhattan resident told Fox News that the city should be addressing issues facing the city before stretching resources for the migrants.
"You got a problem here. You got to take care of what’s going on here first before you can take care of what’s going on outside," Ricardo said. "You’ve got to fix here first."
A homeless resident in Manhattan told Fox News he was disappointed with the city being accommodating to migrants while he is still on the streets.
"Not really mad at anyone, but only just disappointed," Shawn said. He added that he doesn’t feel safe in New York City’s homeless shelters because he claims he has been robbed in the facilities.
A homeless New Yorker, Shawn, says he's disappointed with New York City's failure to provide safe shelter for residents living on the streets. (Fox News)
Over 40,000 migrants have come to New York City since last spring, according to Adams' office, who recently said the Big Apple cannot accommodate any more asylum seekers.
Last week, the city began moving single adult male migrants from the luxury $300-per-night Watson Hotel in Manhattan to free up space for migrant families. A group of men, claiming poor conditions at the Brooklyn shelter, initially protested the relocation by sleeping outside the hotel in freezing temperatures on the sidewalks. They said the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center lacks heat, food, bathrooms, access to transportation and privacy.
Adams disputed those accusations. In a video posted to Twitter last week, Adams said he visited the facility after hearing the rumors.
"It’s warm inside. About the food not being there, healthy food is present, even the snacks are healthy," he said, holding up an orange. "We just need to stop the anxiety."
The police ultimately cleared the sidewalks and forced the migrants to move. Before that, one migrant who hadn't yet been to the Brooklyn shelter told Fox News he would not leave until better accommodations were offered.
"Four people are coming back from the Brooklyn shelter because it's too cold, they don't have enough warm clothes to be there." he said. "We’ve got to hold out until they send us to a better place."
A migrant, from Colombia, says he came to New York City to create a better life for his family. (Fox News)
Another migrant said he will remain outside the Watson Hotel in the cold until he's given a work permit.
"We don't want accommodations, we want a work permit," he said.
A migrant sitting outside the shelter in Brooklyn, Delby, told Fox News he loves New York City and would like to live in Manhattan permanently.
Migrants refuse to relocate from a New York City luxury hotel to a new shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. (Fox News)
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"I love New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan," he said in Spanish. "I want to live in Manhattan my whole life because it's tranquil, nobody gets in your business, no one looks at you badly, everyone mostly speaks Spanish."
Migrants were seen entering and leaving the facility with badges Wednesday afternoon. The shelter in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will close ahead of the cruise season in the spring.
To hear more from New Yorkers on the migrant influx, click here.
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