There are many people from all over the world living and working lawfully in New York City because they have decided to immigrate there. The city has traditionally welcomed immigrants, and it is home to many diverse and thriving communities made up of people from all over the world. However, recent busloads of asylum-seekers from Texas have put the city’s resources to the test. New York City’s shelter system has quickly expanded to contain more people than it can handle as a rising number of migrants have arrived in the city from Texas. To accommodate the needs of the recently arrived Texan migrants, local officials have created a new emergency shelter.
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There is Now a New Place to Seek Safety in Case of Emergency
New York City constructed an 84,000-square-foot shelter on October 19 to host refugees traveling from Texas. The shelter’s site occupies 6.4 acres on Manhattan’s Randall’s Island. Migrants that arrive at the emergency shelter may be quarantined if they have a contagious disease, such as COVID-19. The shelter has dorms, recreational areas, eating halls, and isolation rooms.
The facility has a capacity of 500 adult males, but the city has said it can expand if necessary. Instead, families and children of migrants are being housed in hotels, motels, and other short-term residences and shelters all across the city. Case management services and tools are available at the Randall’s Island shelter, allowing asylum seekers and other migrants to figure out their next steps in the immigration process and how to reach their loved ones or the locations where their asylum petitions are set to be processed.
The maximum allowed time for migrants to stay in the emergency shelter is 96 hours. But in some situations, migrants will be given more time to stay until they can secure permanent homes. Showers, medical care, food, rest, the ability to contact loved ones, and transportation assistance are just some of the services provided at the refuge for freshly arriving migrants and asylum-seekers.
Threats in Texas Drive Need for Safe Havens
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s actions prompted the city to establish a new emergency shelter. In recent months, Abbott has spearheaded a push to transport migrants by bus from the southern border to Democratic strongholds like New York. Since the beginning of the year, New York City has seen an influx of over 20,500 asylum applicants, the vast majority of whom have traveled on buses from Texas to the city.