New York City to Close 13 Emergency Shelters as Number of Migrants in the City Falls

New York City will close 13 emergency shelters that housed asylum seekers by June as the numbers of migrants in the Big Apple have fallen to its lowest point in 18 months.

Mayor Eric Adams announced the closings in all five boroughs on Friday, crediting his administration's strategy for dealing with the immigration crisis and the federal government's border policy changes that have reduced the number of migrants entering the United States.

Last month, Adams said the city would close 25 other sites by March, including shelters at the sprawling Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and Randall's Island.

The city in a press release said the number of migrants in city shelters has fallen for 27 straight weeks and is now at its lowest point in 18 months.

City shelters are housing fewer than 51,000 migrants, compared to a high of more than 69,000 in January 2024.

Since the spring of 2022, more than 229,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City.

"The policies we implemented, and the tremendous work of the dedicated public servants who execute our mission, show how our administration continues to creatively and effectively manage an unprecedented crisis," Adams said in a statement.

"The additional closures we are announcing today, provides yet another example of our continued progress and the success of our humanitarian efforts to care for everyone throughout our system," the mayor said.

He pointed out that the city has helped more than 178,000 asylum seekers "take the next steps on their journeys towards pursuing the American Dream."

The city also announced that it will open a smaller brick-and-mortar facility in the Bronx that will be used for single adult males who had been in a tent-shelter on Randall's Island.

The city will work with local nonprofits to provide services to the migrants.

Originally published on Latin Times