City relocating Orchard Beach migrant relief center to Randall's Island, Mayor Adams says
NEW YORK -- After protests and outcries, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday the migrant relief center under construction at Orchard Beach in the Bronx will move to another location.
Adams said he's changing course due to flooding concerns after the recent storms. But there were calls from some Bronx residents to move the facility somewhere else, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
Since last week, workers have been construction what the city calls a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center. But that work will now be undone.
In a statement, Adams said New York City Emergency Management determined "relocating the Orchard Beach humanitarian relief center to Randall's Island is the most efficient and effective path forward, and work is underway to make this move."
Monday, while work continued on the migrant camp, dozens of Bronx residents gathered in the parking lot to say "not in our back yard."
"I feel bad for these people. They have to come over the right way," one person told CBS2's Andrea Grymes.
Flooding was among the issues raised by Bronx residents at a protest hours before the mayor's announcement.
"I'm a Democrat and I'm standing here shoulder to shoulder because it's wrong, humanitarian - how dare they put immigrants in a flood zone," said Co-op City resident Al Quattlebaum.
Some residents, including many Bronx Republicans, were planning to sue the city. They had concerns, including safety and if the migrants were being vetted.
"These people that are being sent here, they're not all criminals. But in any group this size, there's going to be a criminal element," said Patrick McManus of the Bronx County Conservative Party.
"We don't do any screening other than of finding out the needs of people and make sure that we properly give them the resources they need. And we're going to provide the public safety. That's my responsibility," Adams said.
As of Monday, there were more than 16,000 asylum seekers in the city. Many were bused here directly from the southern border.
Randall's Island will provide temporary shelter to 500 of those migrants as they face what the mayor called a humanitarian crisis.
"Far right is doing what's wrong. Far left is doing nothing at all. It's time for us to address this in a unified way, and that's what we're doing, this administration is doing," Adams said.
The mayor's office said it continues to try and find other solutions to shelter the migrants. Cruise ships are still under consideration.
Here is the mayor's full statement:
New York City has, on its own, safely and efficiently provided shelter, health care, education, and a host of other services to more than 16,000 asylum seekers pursuing a better life over the last few months. As we now work to open the city's first Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center, safety for those seeking asylum remains our top priority. Following this weekend's storms, New York City Emergency Management determined that, while we would be able to put in place the necessary ponding mitigation measures, relocating the Orchard Beach humanitarian relief center to Randall's Island is the most efficient and effective path forward, and work is underway to make this move. This new location is less prone to flooding, is closer to public transportation, and will provide temporary respite to 500 asylum seekers. We expect this site to open in approximately the same timeframe as the originally planned location, and we continue to build out our options and explore additional sites as we handle this humanitarian crisis created by human hands.