NYC Mayor Tours New Asylum-Seeker Camp on Randall's Island

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams toured an emergency facility for asylum seekers on Randall’s Island on Monday, October 17, after announcing two weeks earlier that he was moving it from another site in the Bronx due to the risk of flooding.

“We’re providing medical care, places to sleep, connection to legal services, laundry, and more,” Adams wrote on Twitter. “We didn’t ask for this crisis, but we’re meeting the moment,” he added.

The erection of tent-like structures began on the island on October 10, according to local reports, and came amid a surge in the number of homeless people and asylum-seeking migrants in the city.

Mayor Adams said the new site would provide temporary shelter to 500 asylum seekers. Compared to the Orchard Beach location, the Randall’s Island site was less prone to flooding and had better links to public transit, Adams said.

However, critics, including local elected officials and community activists, argue the Randall’s Island site is also susceptible to flooding, is hard to access by public transport, and say the city should prioritize permanent housing over temporary solutions, NY1 reported. Credit: Mayor Eric Adams via Storyful

Video Transcript

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

- And then over on this side--