NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Police raided the Randall’s Island migrant shelter last week in search of guns and drugs, but the operation yielded nothing, resulting in a review of the residents’ rights by the Legal Aid Society.
Public safety concerns and recent killings—including a triple shooting on Aug. 1 that left shelter resident Sandra Serrano, 44, dead—prompted the raid for “dangerous contraband.” Sources told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that cops were searching for indication of any illegality, including potential gang activity.
“The safety and security of all New Yorkers, and every single person in our care, is our top priority,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry wrote on X Friday, announcing the raid.
No contraband was recovered and no arrests were made, police said.
“It was not based on a concern about health and safety,” Legal Aid Society attorney Josh Goldfein told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880. “It was because they were looking for something that they didn’t find.”
The Randall’s Island complex houses nearly 3,000 people within its five large tents, the largest asylum seeker shelter in the city.
“There’s no evidence that the larger shelters are any more dangerous than anywhere else in New York City. There’s no higher crime rate,” Goldfein said. “If the city wants everybody to be safe, part of that is treating people with dignity and respect, not swarming on no notice a large shelter with tons of uniformed officers.”
Despite concerns among police and the public about asylum seeker crime, the data does not support that there has been a “migrant crime wave.”
The raid took place in 90-degree heat, displacing the shelter’s residents while the city had activated its Heat Emergency Plan, and the Legal Aid Society argues that the search violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Police said that the department provided cooling buses, water and ambulances on standby as they searched the shelter. They remained at the complex for hours.
"It doesn't make them feel safe to be swarmed by uniformed officers conducting a mass search when there clearly isn't a huge problem given that they didn't turn up anything," Goldfein said.