Sources: NYC now housing asylum seekers at school gym in Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- Sources tell CBS2 asylum seekers are now being housed in a gym at Public School 188 -- the Michael E. Berdy School -- in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Those sources also say the city is now preparing to house asylum seekers at P.S. 172 in Sunset Park and P.S. 189 in Crown Heights.
"I thought it wasn't going to happen, but, yes, it seriously is," one woman said.
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The city says the P.S. 188 location is being used on a short-term basis and will not impact school operations. Sources say only adult men and women -- no children -- have arrived there.
The people living in the Sandra Feldman Gymnasium will not have access to any other part of the school.
"These are young children there, so no one wants to take a chance with their child," the woman said. "When you bring people over, you have to have a better place for them to be -- not in a school."
"It is unfortunate that the P.S. 188 gym would be taken from the Coney Island community and would be utilized as housing for migrants due to a failed open-border/no questions asked policies of the Biden administration," City Councilman Ari Kagan said in a statement.
The NYC School Safety Coalition released the following statement to CBS2:
"The NYC School Safety Coalition vehemently opposes and is deeply concerned about Mayor Adams housing single adult migrant in schools. We understand that Mayor Adams is dealing with a humanitarian crisis, and is in an untenable and difficult situation, however our schools are not shelters to house unvetted adults from all over the world. Our parents don't want strangers in our schools. They don't know who they are, they don't know their intentions, and they don't know what they're capable of. Our schools are dangerous enough, with all the weapons being brought in and incidents occurring around the schools. Why do we have to put our children at further risk? We call on Mayor Adams to find other housing for unvetted adult migrants. Do not put our children's safety at risk."
Later this week, the mayor's office says a vacant Midtown hotel will become the city's first asylum seeker arrival center.
CBS2 was told the Roosevelt Hotel will be used to provide medical, legal, and humanitarian relief, and that 175 rooms will open for children and families.
Eventually, the plan is to utilize all 800 rooms.
So far, New York City has opened more than 140 emergency shelters and eight relief centers for 65,000 asylum seekers.
The mayor's office released a statement that said, in part, "We received more than 4,200 asylum seekers this last 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."