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.
Despite being scheduled to close on Oct. 31, the shelter has faced ongoing protests from local residents ever since its opening in July.
- Related story: Local community offers many complaints about asylum seeker shelter in College Point, Queens
The statement, as sent by a spokesperson from City Hall, was forwarded to CBS New York.
“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.”
By Sunday, asylum seekers currently housed at the school will be transferred to alternate shelters.
- In:
- College Point
- Queens
- Migrants
