Eric Adams’ New NYC Migrant Crisis Plan: Open 24/7 Center, Send Asylum Seekers Elsewhere

A recent count of asylum seekers arriving to New York City put the number around 50,000 people, which has led the city switch up its strategy in the migrant crisis — as it doesn’t appear the situation will be ending any time soon.

The new plan involves establishing a 24-hour office that is focused on longer-term needs of those seeking asylum. There has also been discussion with other cities and nonprofits to redistribute migrants elsewhere.

Mayor Eric Adams said part of the plan involves shutting down the current setup at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which has been helping asylum seekers since buses from the border started rolling in nearly a year ago. On any given day, scores of migrants can be found at the transit hub — not because they just arrived, but because they’re living in local shelters and are coming back in search of other help.

Mutual aid volunteers on the ground say it has become a never-ending cycle.

“When they come to us, they ask for specific things: food, clothing, school, health services, lawyer services. All of these things that are supposedly offered by the city,” said one volunteer.

One man who arrived in NYC from Colombia in the fall said his asylum hearing is Wednesday…in Idaho. He said he has no money to get there.

“I’m trying to get help, but it’s difficult,” said the man, Cristian.

A 12-year-old girl named Damaris said her family of migrants has struggled to get settled and has been sleeping in the bus terminal to stay warm. She said the family is trying to get money to go to Florida.

“We are here for like three days,” said Damaris.

While the city is struggling to pay for the influx of migrants, officials are facing tough questions on the conditions that migrants are living in. Melissa Russo reports.

Adams shared almost no details about his plan, declining to share where and when the new center would appear — or to what cities he plans to relocate migrants in the near future.

“Please don’t ask me which cities because I don’t need you running to the cities and stopping us from getting asylum seekers there,” Adams said. “So we’re not telling you, we’ll tell you when they get there.”

The mayor called on the Biden administration to move more quickly, send more money and devise a decompression strategy which he said is their responsibility — not his.