NYC opens temporary tent shelter to house migrants bused from Texas

On Wednesday, New York City opened a makeshift tent shelter Wednesday on Randall’s Island to house hundreds of migrants whose arrival led to mayor Adams declaring a state of emergency.

The tent shelter is intended to be a temporary waystation for migrants who have been bussed to New York, most of these chartered buses have arrived from Texas.

The facility is designed to house single male migrants, families with children will be put up in a hotel.

The tent shelter was initially going to be placed in a corner of The Bronx, however after concerns were raised about possible flooding, as well as the remote location, it was moved to Randall Island.

The facilities are basic, but they do include accommodation for 500, laundry facilities, a dining hall and pay phones for residents who want to make both domestic and international phone calls.

New York’s plan is to meet the men when they arrive at Manhattan’s main bus terminal, escort them to the facility and house them there for a few days until they can determine where to place them next.

“We needed a different type of operation that gave us the time and space to welcome people, provide them a warm meal shower, a place to sleep, to understand their medical needs, to really then work with them to figure out what their next step is going to be,” said Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.

CBS New York reporter Marcia Kramer toured the facility on Tuesday and was told that the facility was equipped to deal with all kinds of extreme weather conditions.

“I want to tell the migrants that New York City is doing the best that we can to make sure that we are welcoming them. We’re doing it in a way that is loving and caring,” Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom told Kramer.