Asylum seeker shelter in Queens closing early
NEW YORK -- A shelter for asylum seekers in Queens is closing earlier than expected.
Councilwoman Vickie Paladino says migrants at the shelter inside the former St. Agnes High School in College Point started leaving Friday.
The shelter was previously scheduled to close on Oct. 31, but people who live in the neighborhood have protested since it opened in July.
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A City Hall spokesperson sent CBS New York the following statement:
"New Yorkers are weary of bearing the brunt of this national crisis, and we empathize with their concerns. With more than 120,000 asylum seekers that have come through our intake system since spring 2022 and an average of more than 10,000 more continuing to arrive in our city asking for shelter every month, New York City has been left largely alone to deal with a national crisis that demands difficult decision-making. We have opened more than 210 sites, including 17 large-scale humanitarian relief centers, and are constantly searching for new places to provide asylum seekers with the shelter they are asking for. But let's be clear: The sites we are now finding are the only options left. This situation demands a broader state and national solution."
Asylum seekers who were staying at the school will be relocated to other shelters by Sunday.