NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- New York City will build a large-scale emergency relief center on Randall's Island to temporarily house as many as 2,000 migrants and provide them with various services, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.
The facility is being built in partnership with New York State, which will reimburse the city for the associated costs of the site, including construction, maintenance and staffing.
Construction had already begun Monday, PIX11 reported.
The facility will have the capacity for 2,000 adult asylum seekers at a time, officials said. It will also provide a "range of services" and help migrants reach their final destination if it's not the five boroughs.
It was just last October that the city opened a $650,000 mega shelter in a parking lot of Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island—only to dismantle the “tent city” weeks later after few migrants used it because of its remote location and lack of transportation.
It's unclear exactly where the center will be built, but previous reported indicated the city was looking at sports fields 82, 83, 84 and 85. That drew opposition from the co-chairs of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, who said it would take away park space from young people.
In a statement Monday, Adams said the city was grateful the state will foot the bill for the facility. "Thank you to Gov. [Kathy] Hochul and her team for working with us on this space and for stepping up to cover the associated costs," he said.
The mayor also appeared to again call out Washington, saying, "we need more of the same from all levels of government." Adams has been urging the Biden administration to do more for months, saying in his latest release that the number of asylum seekers is growing "by hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond."
The city currently has 57,200 asylum seekers in its care and has taken in about 100,000 since last spring. Around 500 arrive each day, according to the city.
The center will join 13 other humanitarian relief centers across the city that are part of nearly 200 emergency shelters that have opened at hotels and other locations since the crisis began.
The city is reviewing 3,000 locations across the city, including Prospect Park and Central Park, that could be used to house migrants, officials have indicated.
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