New York City will use public school facilities to house asylum seekers

NEW YORK -- As Title 42 comes to an end, we're learning asylum seekers bused to New York City from the border will be housed in public school facilities.

A spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams confirmed to CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer the city is so desperate for space that it has prepared the gym at the P.S. 188 Michael E. Berdy school in Coney Island to begin housing asylum seekers arriving after the expiration of Title 42.

"Our intention is to use the gym to house single men and adult families," the spokesman said, adding that things could change. "We don't know who will be on the buses arriving in the city. If there are, say, 1,000 families with children, our plans could change."

A spokesman for the mayor's office released the following statement:

"As we've been saying for months, we are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, having opened more than 130 emergency sites and eight large-scale humanitarian relief centers to serve over 65,000 asylum seekers. We received more than 4,200 asylum seekers this past week alone and continue to receive hundreds of asylum seekers every day. We are opening emergency shelters and respite centers daily, but we are out of space. We will continue to communicate with local elected officials as we open more emergency sites."

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• First buses of asylum seekers arrive in Orange County, as NYC says it's out of options
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As CBS2's Naveen Dhaliwal reports, an email went out to parents Friday morning informing them that the school will be the latest location for asylum seekers coming into the city.

CBS2 obtained that email, which states the school began taking into families as of Thursday night. It says those families are using the standalone gym for a short-term basis to house individuals and families seeking asylum.

School officials say their presence will not impact school operations nor will the families have access to any other part of the school where students or staff will be.

They further say the school is working with the Office of Emergency Management and other city agencies to ensure safety of the students and staff is the number one priority, but some parents and grandparents who spoke to CBS2 aren't buying that.

"Why are they gonna put them in the school right across the street from where all these kids are and stuff? Those are grown men and stuff in there, you understand? And we got little girls, little kids and stuff out there," one woman said.

"They should have let people know. That's a school. Kids go to that school," Coney Island resideny Harry Falkner said.

Watch Marcia Kramer's report

The move is being vehemently opposed by some local officials.

Councilman Ari Kagan, who represents Coney Island, told CBS2, "This is a school. The gym is not fit for human beings to live there. There are no showers or other facilities. I told City Hall this is a terrible idea."

In a video posted to Twitter, he said, "Everybody should be aware what is going on, who is going to be in this gym for how long. This cannot be a permanent solution."

Kagan added, "They're saying the city is overwhelmed. It's a nationwide crisis. It's a citywide crisis."

A confidential memo prepared for the mayor said schools could be used as temporary housing because there are cafeterias and dining facilities.

Manuel Gonzales was on a bus of asylum seekers that arrived at Port Authority on Friday morning. In Spanish, he told CBS2 how he and his young family left everything behind in Venezuela for a better life. He said it was a dangerous eight-month journey, but now he's here to work for the American dream.

Now, it's a matter of the city finding him a place to stay.

"I understand the angst because I have it as well, but we have to coordinate this -- city, state and federal level -- and right now that's not happening," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is now asking the Biden administration to help build temporary housing on places like Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn. She says with the number of asylum seekers coming into the state, this is one way to reduce the strain on infrastructure.

We've also learned New York City is now planning to send asylum seekers to the Ramada Inn on Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers.

Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement that the city was told that dozens of families would be housed there for a year, but he says his city has not yet been provided the resources on how to deal with the additional schooling, public safety and health services needed to assist the families.

In:
• Coney Island
• New York City
• Migrants