The Adams administration is planning to enforce curfews at a few migrant respite centers in the city due to complaints from neighbors about asylum-seekers asking for help.
Starting this Tuesday night, migrants at these centers must check in by 11 p.m. and stay inside until 6 a.m., similar to the curfews at homeless shelters.
This is Mayor Eric Adams’ first significant action to address concerns from neighbors who feel overwhelmed by asylum-seekers seeking assistance.
The new curfew applies to four specific respite centers: the Judo Center and JFK Center in Queens, the Stockton Center in Brooklyn, and the Lincoln Manhattan Center in Manhattan.
Residents were notified of these rules on Monday, and exceptions are made for work, school, and essential appointments. Migrants can request permits to be exempt from the curfew, but repeated violations may lead to expulsion from the centers.
It’s uncertain if curfews will extend to other migrant shelters and tent cities in the city, but City Hall has mentioned it as a possibility in the future.
“New York City continues to lead the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, and that includes prioritizing the health and safety of both migrants in our care and longtime New Yorkers who live in the communities surrounding the emergency shelters we manage,” a City Hall spokesperson stated.
The majority of grievances have been directed towards more expansive tent cities, also known as HERRCs (Humanitarian Emergency Response Relief Centers).
One such HERRC is Floyd Bennett Field shelter, located far enough out in Brooklyn’s deep suburbs that many migrants have found it more convenient to make the long commute to the inner boroughs in search of employment.
The Post was informed in December by locals living close to Floyd Bennett that the sight of destitute migrants in their area was “alarming” and had put them all “on edge.”
Drug sales and even a fatal stabbing earlier in January are just two of the crimes that have plagued other shelters, such as the tent city on Randall’s Island.
During a meeting with Adams officials last week, Councilwoman Joann Ariola pushed for curfews in response to concerns raised by her residents. She said that the new regulations were “only the first step” among many that would be required to address the city’s migrant dilemma.
“I’m certainly glad to see these curfews finally being put into place, but they should have been mandated from the beginning,” Ariola stated.
“While I applaud the city for coming to its senses on the curfew issue, I believe this is only the first step. We still need to end our status as a right-to-shelter city, stop the flow of asylum-seekers into the five boroughs, and finally get rid of the tent cities and HERRCs that are draining our city’s coffers and gobbling up billions of taxpayer dollars,” she added.
