NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York City's largest migrant center is set to close after a continued decline in the shelter census, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday.
The Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall’s Island, which houses single and married adult asylum seekers, is scheduled to close on Feb. 28, 2025. City officials stated that the park's underlying athletic fields and adjacent parkland would be restored following the closure.
The decision to close the center was attributed to a reduction in the number of asylum seekers arriving in New York City. The administration credited its asylum seeker management strategies, including reticketing, case management, and 30- and 60-day notices. The number of asylum seekers in city shelters has decreased for 14 consecutive weeks, reaching its lowest point in over a year.
As part of the closure, the city will reduce capacity at Randall’s Island by taking down the largest residential tent structure, which housed over 750 cots. In the coming months, the city plans to gradually reduce the population at the center.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, but make no mistake, thanks in large part to our smart management strategies and successful advocacy, we have turned the corner on this crisis,” Adams said. “We’re not scrambling every day to open new shelters — we’re talking about closing them. We’re not talking about how much we’re spending — we’re talking about how much we’ve saved.”
The city’s Asylum Application Help Center has processed more than 72,000 applications for work authorization, temporary protected status, and asylum. Additionally, the city has purchased 47,000 tickets to help migrants reach their preferred destinations, reducing long-term costs for New York City taxpayers.
Staff have also conducted over 630,000 case management sessions with migrants, assisting them in finding pathways toward self-sufficiency. As a result, more than 158,000 migrants who requested services have moved on to their next steps toward self-sufficiency.
However, the New York Immigration Coalition criticized the Adams administration, calling the Randall's Island HERRC a "failure of leadership."
“New York should be investing in the future success of everyone who lives in our great city, whether they arrived here 30 days or 30 years ago,” said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition. “Cramming people into congregate settings in tents — in locations far from public transportation, grocery stores, and jobs — has been a recipe for failure since day one."
Awawdeh welcomed the news of the center's closure and encouraged the city to shut down other "inhumane" HERRCs, particularly Floyd Bennett Field, which he claimed subjected families to unsafe conditions. He also urged the Adams administration to expand access to CityFHEPS housing vouchers for low-income New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, invest in legal services to help migrants gain legal status and work authorizations, and eliminate the 30- and 60-day shelter limits.
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