NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- New York City officials are reportedly considering shutting down streets to house migrants, as hundreds of new arrivals are expected daily when pandemic-era restrictions on U.S. asylum end this week.
The city is said to be bracing for 800 new asylum seekers a day after Thursday's expiration of Title 42 restrictions, which the U.S. has used since 2020 to expel asylum seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. President Joe Biden warned this week it could be "chaotic for a while."
A confidential memo obtained by CBS New York on Tuesday shows one of the options is to close "large sections" of streets in various neighborhoods for temporary housing made of shipping containers or tiny houses.
"Being on the street bed would provide access to water, sewer and electricity and could then support trailers or modular/prefabricated housing," according to the memo.
Other options reportedly include housing in cruise ships, school gymnasiums and federal installations like New Jersey's Fort Dix. Mayor Eric Adams has also ordered all city agencies to find properties where they can house people.
New York City has already been straining to handle an influx of about 60,000 asylum seekers since last spring.
The Adams administration has been using hotels within the city to house some migrants. And last week, the administration announced plans to bus hundreds of asylum seekers to two hotels in Rockland and Orange counties, though local suburban officials have declared emergencies to block the move.
While Adams has remained defiant, the ultimate outcome in the Lower Hudson Valley is unclear. On Tuesday, a state Supreme Court judge ordered a hotel in Orangetown not to accept migrants. However, migrants are expected to arrive at a hotel in Newburgh on Wednesday.
Hochul issued an executive order Tuesday that she said will allow the state to mobilize more National Guard members and to quickly react to food and supply needs.
Hochul said the order declaring a “state disaster emergency” will allow New York to mobilize an additional 500 members of the National Guard in addition to the roughly 1,000 already providing logistical and operational support. She said it also will allow the state and localities to quickly purchase necessary food and equipment.
“With Title 42 set to expire, the circumstances on the ground are expected to change significantly and this executive order will be an important part of our coordinated response. I have spoken to Mayor Adams and county executives throughout New York as we work to address this situation,” Hochul said in a prepared release.
Adams’ press secretary, Fabien Levy, said Monday that the city has cared for more than 61,000 migrants “and we have done so largely without incident.”
Levy said in a statement that the federal government should do more to help the city house migrants, “but until they do, we need other elected officials around the state and country to do their part and emulate the humane and compassionate approach New York City has taken over the past year.”
Adams said last month that the city "is being destroyed by the migrant crisis" and urged the Biden administration to do more to help. In January, the mayor suggested that looking after so many asylum seekers—which is required under a right-to-shelter law—could bankrupt the city.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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