Randall’s Island migrant shelter set to close: City Hall source

NEW YORK (PIX11) – The migrant shelter on Randall’s Island will close next year after a drop in the number of asylum seekers entering New York City, according to City Hall sources.

The shelter, which houses around 3,000 migrants, will shutter in February, sources told PIX11 News.

The city has already removed the shelter’s largest residential tent structure, which housed over 750 beds. Anyone remaining at the shelter will be gradually removed through February and the space returned to its regular use as athletic fields and parks.

Randall’s Island became the center of the migrant crisis as the city dealt with an influx of people starting in 2022. Around 200,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since then, with over 64,000 in the city’s care as of August, according to officials.

For 14 straight weeks, the number of asylum seekers in city shelters has decreased, recently hitting its lowest point in over a year, according to a City Hall source.

City Hall had limited stays in shelters to 30 or 60 days to accommodate the most vulnerable populations and new arrivals. Once that time was up, adult migrants could be evicted from city-run shelters.

Police raided the migrant shelter at Randall’s Island back in August after multiple crimes were reported at the site. But police didn’t find anything during the search, according to authorities.

A woman was killed and two people were injured in a shooting in front of the shelter on July 29, police said. A man was also stabbed outside the shelter on Aug. 11, according to authorities.

The shelter had received backlash from many angles, including locals who want their public space back and advocates who say the living conditions are “dangerous.”

When the shelter opened in 2022, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition called the decision “morally reprehensible.”

“By confining new asylum seekers to isolated tents, vulnerable to inclement weather and removed from critical social services, the Adams administration has failed in its duties to protect and integrate the newest arrivals to our city,” said Murad Awawdeh. “Mayor Adams has compromised New York City’s status as a beacon of hope.”

The Randall’s Island Park Alliance threatened legal action over the shelter in May because of the loss of public space, according to multiple reports .

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018 . She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here .

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