City Hall suggests crackdown on migrant encampments on Randall's Island
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the migrant crisis on Tuesday and officials say encampments set up near a shelter on Randall's Island won't be tolerated.
But the question remains -- where will they go?
Many of those in the encampment have already been forced out of shelters under the city's 30-day Right to Shelter rules.
They have maxed out their time in the shelter and have instead set up camp right outside because they say they have nowhere else to go.
Adams made it clear in his comments Tuesday that camping out in New York City is not allowed, but officials did not give specific plans on when or how it could be enforced.
It all comes as the number of migrants coming into the city has dropped, in part due to tighter restrictions at the border.
The majority of migrants are from Venezuela. In fact, 66% are from Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. About 14% are from the West African nations of Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania.
Over 200,000 migrants have arrived since 2022, but Adams said the city is down to receiving "a little over 700" asylum seekers a week.
"That's a long way from 4,000," Adams said. "That is a huge huge drop. I have to say there was a moment where I did not see that light or that light was a train coming right at us."
But Mayor Adams admits that the numbers are still too high, and migrant crime makes headlines, like the rape of a woman on Coney Island, allegedly at the hands of South American migrants.
"We're not out of the woods. We still have to deal with this small number of violent gang members that are in our city," Adams said. "We have to make sure we monitor them, and we still have to make sure that we're able to move people out of this shelter type setting."
The city is still sheltering around 64,000 people every night and the Adams administration says camping out is not allowed.
"We are continuing to work very closely with the entire team that's out of Randall's Island, and the issue of the encampments will be addressed, it will be addressed," said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack.
Adams said they don't want to be heavy-handed or insensitive, it's about finding out what resources are needed and "navigating people there as we deal with this humanitarian crisis."
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