NYC and federal government agree to use Floyd Bennett Field to shelter asylum seekers
Officials who have vocally opposed the project have said they plan to file an injunction on Monday to stop the agreement.
The city of New York and the federal government have agreed on the use of Floyd Bennett Field to shelter asylum seekers.
This comes after weeks of back and forth between elected officials from both parties, concerned community members, and leaders at the city, state, and federal level.
MORE: Tensions on the rise as community members fight back against migrant housing at Floyd Bennett Field
Mayor Eric Adams' office released a statement in response to the agreement that was reached. In that statement, he says that the wide space will be used to house some of the approximately 113,000 migrants that have entered the city this past year, but that the move is unsustainable in the long term, saying, in part:
"...because we haven’t seen meaningful policy changes that would alter the course of this crisis, we’ve been forced to unsustainably open new site after new site as asylum seekers continue to arrive by the thousands. This is not an adequate solution or any sort of long-term plan by the federal government to this national problem."
Officials who have vocally opposed the project, including Council Member Joann Ariola, have said they plan to file an injunction on Monday to stop the agreement.
The site is expected to house up to 2,500 asylum seekers.
