Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022.Two male asylum seekers entered New York City’s tent encampment on Randall’s Island early Wednesday, becoming the first new arrivals at theWearing jeans, jackets and sporting shoes, and each toting a bag, the pair shook hands with city Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol before going inside the sprawling complex.
The city has billed the Randall’s Island camp as a waystation where the migrants can rest, receive humanitarian aid, and assistance getting to their next destination, be it longer-term housing in the city’s traditional shelter system for the homeless, or transportation to another city. “The Adams administration has failed in its duties to protect and integrate the newest arrivals to our city.” he said in a statement. “Mayor Adams has compromised New York City’s status as a beacon of hope."
“Because tourism is coming back and because many hotels are already being used by the city, there's less and less open space, which also, by the way, means that the price that they're demanding goes up and up and up,” said Levine.