New York City, struggling to accommodate some 70,000 migrants in its care, could no longer cap or limit stays for those being housed in city shelters, under a measure being pushed by two state lawmakers.
The prohibition from Assembly member Catalina Cruz and Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal would apply to any city or state government agency, barring them from removing anyone in a shelter or emergency housing except under narrow circumstances, such as the person’s being in imminent danger.
The measure comes as the city continues to roll out 30- and 60-day stay limits for migrants, many of whom have been in the shelter system for far longer. The city administration has said the stay limits aim to free up beds for newer arrivals and nudge migrants to find their own housing. The two city Democrats contend the limits are unwarranted.
The dispute highlights the continuing disagreement among elected officials, policymakers, housing and migrants’ advocates, and ordinary New Yorkers as well, on what the social safety net should be for migrants–in a city long portrayed as welcoming to immigrants.
“The City Administration’s decision to arbitrarily evict families with children and single adults from our city’s shelters after 60 and 30 days, respectively, is cruel and unnecessary,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. Cruz added their proposal was “more than a policy change; it’s a commitment to human rights and a testament to New York’s enduring spirit of inclusivity and compassion.”
Mayor Eric Adams, in a briefing with reporters Tuesday, rejected calls to undo the 30- and 60-day stay limits. He credited the limits with spurring the newcomers to “take the next step on the journey in this country to pursuing the American dream.”
He said the city’s “humanitarian responsiveness” had left “not one child, not one family, not one individual” to sleep on the street.
“What we have done is working,” Adams said.
Some 177,000 migrants, mostly asylum-seekers, have…
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