Tent encampment outside Randall's Island migrant shelter will be addressed, NYC insists
NEW YORK -- Mayor Eric Adams' administration is vowing to address the migrant tent encampment that has sprung up outside the Randall's Island mega shelter.
As CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer reports, it is a problem that is difficult to solve, especially for New York City, which has gone the extra mile to provide services to the more than 200,000 asylum seekers who have arrived.
However, a tent city, with people sleeping on the ground, is not something the administration wants to encourage.
"We got to communicate with the people, Marcia. We don't want to be heavy handed. We don't want to be insensitive," Adams said Tuesday.
Day-to-day life in the encampment
The mayor was speaking about what has become an unanticipated problem -- dozens and dozens of migrants, who, instead of moving on after their city-funded shelter stay ended, set up an encampment outside the Randall's Island shelter. It features a barber who gives haircuts, people who sell food, and others who cook meals for their families.
After a weekend stabbing, migrants told Kramer there was a half-hearted attempt to get some of them to move.
"The police are telling them that if they're living with somebody in a tent, or have kids, they can keep the tents up, but if it's a single person, they have to take it down. I don't understand why this is okay," Kramer said to the mayor.
"One thing you and I both have in common, I don't understand why our city is going through this," Adams responded.
"The issue of the encampments will be addressed"
Camille Joseph Varlack, the mayor's chief of staff, insisted the city is taking action.
"We continue to enforce the existing rules on Randall's Island against unpermitted vending, tents and e-scooters," Varlack said.
Maybe that's what the police were telling people as they made their way through the encampments on Monday, but it didn't seem to change anything.
"The issue of the encampments will be addressed," Varlack said.
Kramer asked if the city is going to leave the encampments there.
"It will be addressed. It means that the same policy that we have across the city is the same policy that applies to Randall's Island," Varlack said. "The mayor's policy on encampments is the same no matter where you are in the city of New York."
Kramer pressed, saying the policy is no encampments, again asking if that means the city will get rid of the encampments.
"I'm going to reiterate the same point that I've made. We are in the process of dealing with the encampments on Randall's Island," Varlack said.
The city apparently plans to do more outreach. Varlack said it's not too late from them to be reticketed and given transportation to another place.