60-day deadline looming for some asylum seekers living in New York City-provided shelters
NEW YORK -- The 60-day deadline is looming for some asylum seekers to leave New York City-provided shelters.
More than 6,000 notices have gone out, and some will be asked to leave in September.
Jose Luis Gonzalez has been staying at an unused hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport -- a facility that houses asylum seekers -- for almost two months.
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Through Pastor Juan Carlos Ruiz, Gonzalez, from Venezuela, tells us he looks for construction work and odd jobs every day.
"He's hoping for better days. He is grateful to God," Ruiz said.
There's not enough steady work, he says, and recently, the city gave him a notice that warns he'll have to leave the shelter in 60 days. The mayor announced the new policy in July as the city scrambled for space to house a growing number of asylum seekers.
"What was worrisome is what's going to happen not only to myself but to many who are under the same conditions that I am," Gonzalez said through a translator.
CBS New York obtained a similar notice given to migrants in a Manhattan hotel that reads in part, "Shelter space is very extremely limited." It goes on to say, "If you are unable to make other arrangements... You may return to the Arrival Center ... and apply for another housing option, which could include a faith- or community-based organization or placement in a hotel in upstate New York."
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"I think that they're trying to motivate people to move, and they want to create a sense of urgency, but they still have a legal obligation to offer people a shelter bed," said Josh Goldfein, with the Legal Aid Society. "Our concern is just what will happen on day 61 if somebody tells them 'I don't have another place to go.'"
Ruiz has been serving food to hundreds of asylum seekers each week at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge.
"Many of the people are looking for emotional stability. That has a lot to do with having a house," he said.
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The city has said migrants will receive additional help once they re-register at the Roosevelt Hotel to find new housing.
"I don't really know what I'm going to do," Gonzalez said through a translator.
Legal Aid says the city has promised caseworkers will check in with clients more frequently now -- every two weeks.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams says asylum seekers get significant support along with a 60-day notice, and many have moved on of their own accord to connect with family or relocate somewhere else they want to be.