Scores of immigrants who had previously taken refuge outdoors in proximity to a sizable migrant shelter on Randall’s Island were made to disassemble their makeshift accommodations and relocate by the city on Monday. The decision to remove this ramshackle settlement comes in the face of an escalation in the number of immigrants without permanent dwellings. Over the past few months, these migrants, hailing mostly from West Africa and Latin America, had found semi-permanent residence in tents, underneath tarpaulins or on mattresses in the open air surrounding the shelter, home to around 3,000 of their counterparts.
An undercurrent of simmering apprehension was evident among the migrants as they hurried to remove their tents and personal belongings under the watchful eyes of law enforcement officers and city officials. Any items left behind were promptly gathered up by these officials. The Department of Homeless Services staff proposed transportation for the displaced migrants to an application centre for shelter allocation, a suggestion met with palpable skepticism from those who had already exhausted their tenure in the city’s shelter system.
With the appearance of the encampment, Randall’s Island became a prominent illustration of the city’s persistent struggle to manage an immigration surge. More than 210,000 people have journeyed from the Southern border seeking shelter in the city. Now, two years later, almost 64,000 immigrants find themselves sheltered in surplus spaces like hotels, offices, and alternative shelters. Furthermore, to address concerns about public spaces, city officials are now attempting to diminish this number, hoping not to push migrants onto the streets.
The implications of this problem extend far beyond the city, becoming a national issue during a year of heightened political turbulence, although the number of southern border crossings has seen a significant decline in recent months. Previous political leaders such as Donald J. Trump and other Republicans have used the issue of increased immigrant presence and perceived disorder in locations like New York as fodder for attacking their Democratic counterparts on matters of border security.
A wave of evictions ensued following the imposition of restrictions on shelter tenures by the city. However, a group of migrants elected to sleep outdoors, asserting that they felt safer in those conditions. In order to manage the swelling number of shelter users, the city revised its earlier policy, referred to as the ‘right to shelter,’ which previously mandated the provision of a bed for everyone who needed one, to restrict adult migrants to stays spanning 30 to 60 days at shelters.
Provisions for extension applications were put in place, applicable mainly to those individuals who had sought asylum. Based on reports from official sources, most requests for prolonged shelter stays have been approved. However, a significant number of migrants have been evicted nonetheless. Organizations dedicated to social justice such as the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless denounced the disassembly of the encampment. They voiced their concern that it could potentially hamper the migrants’ employment and housing prospects, also stating that the shelter system had not provided enough support.
City officials argued that this enforcement was in line with the approach taken for other homeless settlements within the city and that they had taken measures to notify migrants in advance of the imminent clearing. Prior to this, outreach workers were dispatched to the location to provide assistance. Authorities have also highlighted their endeavors to assist thousands of immigrants in their pursuit of asylum and work authorization to ensure self-reliance.
Statements released by representatives of City Hall affirm their belief that these actions would enhance the lived experiences of citizens of New York who rely on public spaces, especially those who are under the city’s care. They assert that such encampments are neither safe nor stable for the city’s longstanding homeless residents, the migrants themselves, or anyone else for that matter. The large tent dormitory that serves as the migrant shelter on Randall’s Island is located on the southwestern tip of the landmass, surrounded by recreation parkland along the East River.
Since its inauguration in August 2023, the shelter, which consists of numerous spacious tent dormitories fitted with rows of army-style cots, has been a site of violent disruptions. The start of the new year witnessed three men being charged with manslaughter following the fatal stabbing of a migrant within the premises of the shelter. A particularly troubling incident involved a Venezuelan mother losing her life to a gunshot wound outside the shelter, with two others being severely injured by an individual on a moped as per police reports.
Furthermore, another migrant was found with a stab wound in the abdomen outside the shelter on 11th August. Consequently, a crackdown was conducted by the police in the form of a raid on the shelter in a bid to uncover illicit items such as drugs or weapons, though this search yielded no results. Outside the shelter, many migrants had begun setting up space for themselves voluntarily despite living in the shelter being an option. They claimed that the open air felt safer, selling items and food through the day to support themselves.
Pockets of migrants have also established temporary residences on city streets, in parks, or under overpasses. As the numbers in these areas grew over the past month, it became clear that city officials were considering stricter regulations. Numerous actions have been taken over the past week, including the confiscation of unregistered motor vehicles, the towing of illegally parked cars, and actions against unlawful vending near the shelter. Unsurprisingly, these efforts culminated in city officials returning early on Monday morning, equipped with waste disposal trucks and tools for cleaning up the site.
As warnings about the cleanup echoed in Spanish, migrants quickly gathered their belongings and left the site. City workers disposed of items like bicycles, cooking equipment, tents, and umbrellas that had been abandoned. Some of these migrants accompanied city officials with the intention of requesting temporary accommodation at another shelter. Many others either moved on to different sections of the park or decided to come back the next night or the following day.
Emanuel Pabon, a 30-year-old Venezuelan migrant, blamed the early morning sweep on the destructive actions of a small number of individuals. He said, ‘Sure, there are some bad elements, but because of them, we are all facing the consequences.’ He also noted that while the sight of litter might be disagreeable, the outdoors was a relatively pleasant refuge, especially during the summer. To emphasize his point, he added, ‘We are not an invasion. We are not here to invade. The fact is, in New York, we have nowhere else to go.’