Asylum seekers evicted from New York City shelters wait outside in cold to be relocated
NEW YORK -- The freezing temperatures come as hundreds of asylum seekers were evicted from New York City shelters and wait for placement.
At 4 p.m. Monday, 28-year-old Bourchelvy, a migrant from the Congo, waited outside the East Village processing center for asylum seekers.
"Very cold," he said.
Bourchelvy was evicted from his homeless shelter after 30 days, per the mayor's new edict. Here, he received a number, his spot in line to be relocated to a new shelter.
"I don't know ... if I have anywhere to go," said Bourchelvy.
City Hall said single adults wait about five days for placement.
Steps away at Tompkins Square Park, asylum seekers wrapped in layers of clothes tried to pass the time. One man said he will likely spend the night on the streets.
"I don't have a phone and I don't know the city," he said in Spanish. "I don't know where to go."
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On a Code Blue night like Monday, when the temperature is below freezing, the city is required to provide a place to sleep to anyone who is homeless and seeking shelter.
At 7 p.m., we found dozens of asylum seekers lined up along 3rd Avenue in the Bronx. Men and women in limbo, outside the city's "waiting room" for migrants who have yet to be relocated to a new shelter.
What's inside is just a step above the streets. There are no beds. Migrants sleep on floors and chairs until they are told to leave at 6 a.m.
Jennifer, a 46-year-old asthmatic migrant from Venezuela, called the waiting room terrible and said she cannot bathe and the food is frozen.
She described to us how she spent the past five nights sleeping on the floor in the Bronx. In the morning, she goes down to the East Village to check if it's her turn in line. Then, she comes back here to wait for the doors to open at 8 p.m.
A City Hall spokesperson said if Code Blue is still in effect by morning, asylum seekers will be allowed to stay in the waiting room past 6 a.m.