At a Town Hall meeting on the Upper West Side, the mayor said he doesn't see how this problem will be resolved because the city is not getting enough support from the federal government.
"Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this. I don't see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City," Adams said. "We're getting 10,000 migrants a month ... Now we're getting people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they're going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City."
About 60,000 migrants remain in the city's care. However, the city has consistently put Staten Island's share of the housing capacity at 2 percent throughout the crisis.
Despite that, Staten Islanders, including the borough's Republican elected officials, have led several rallies at the former St. John Villa Academy, which is the latest Staten Island-based shelter to open.
Two buses filled with about 50 migrants initially arrived at the shelter last month. About half of the migrants who arrived at the shelter requested to leave, citing safety concerns related to the ongoing protests, sources said.
The site has the capacity to house 350 people, according to City Hall officials.
While most of the protesters recently have focused on safety and quality-of-life concerns, some members of the crowds have lobbed insults at the arriving migrants and staff working at the St. John Villa site.
Tensions among the groups have prompted the NYPD to beef up the police presence around the St. John Villa Academy building and block off the location with metal barriers. In addition, cameras were installed nearby the former school last month in an effort to step up security at the location.
Lawsuit Against St. John Villa Migrant Shelter
On Aug. 25, a judge temporarily blocked the housing of migrants at St. John Villa, but it was overturned a few hours later after an appeal by the city. The Appellate Court removed a vacate order, which allowed migrants already moved into the shelter to stay.
After a recent tour of the site with the city Office of Emergency Management representatives, several Staten Island elected officials requested in a letter the agency, which oversees the site, institute a curfew like those at city homeless shelters operated by Department of Social Services and Department of Homeless Services, said Councilman David Carr ( R-Mid-Island). The letter was also signed by other elected officials who represent the area: State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D- Staten Island/ Brooklyn), Assemblyman Mike Tannousis (R-East Shore), Borough President Vito Fossella and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R- Staten Island/ Brooklyn).
City Hall sources say the Adams administration is considering the curfew, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported.
The city has owned the St. John Villa site since 2018, when it finalized a $20 million purchase from the Sisters of St. John the Baptist. It had promised to convert the former Catholic school into a public school.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
(c)2023 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Related Articles
