The controversial Floyd Bennett Field Migrant Shelter, located at a former airfield, is one of 25 such shelters that Mayor Eric Adams announced would be closing in two months' time Tuesday, touting a drop of migrants coming into the city from a peak during 2022.

The shelter has sparked criticism from the community, and advocates who worked with those inside, including Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors, an advocacy group that worked with the families inside.

Those groups Tuesday applauding the decision, calling for the migrants to be moved to shelters that are closer to transit, and are easier to provide services for.

"While today’s news is a welcome first step, it must be followed by swift action from Mayor Adams to move the families at Floyd Bennett into safe and permanent housing. Floyd Bennett residents want to contribute to this city and build a better life for themselves just like generations of immigrants before them. We must give them the tools to be able to do it,” said Floyd Bennet Field Neighbors in a statement.

Residents inside say the conditions of the shelter were also poor, citing no privacy, lack of adequate bathroom access, and cold nights for the 2,000 people who live inside, including a large population of children.

Shelter resident Jehinzo Gonzalez says the shelter being located on federal lands also had those inside fearing raids from federal authorities.

He hopes the next location the families inside will be moved to can be firmly under state jurisdiction.

"We think that the closing is totally correct. We ask the authorities to transfer us to shelters in better conditions, in dignified conditions for the families who live here, where the children are not cold, where we do not feel the terror, we have when we know that it is a federal territory where the president can send everything to the authorities with whom he works and deport them violating our immigration rights," Gonzalez said.

“We came to New York to have a better future for our children and to contribute to our new community, but we have felt very vulnerable here in the tents. We are grateful that we will have a safer home soon, and we are ready for our next step,” said shelter resident Gabriel Montilla, who has lived in the shelter with his family since 2023.

Residents in Marine Park also praise the move, hoping the shelter can also lead to less congestion at a nearby bus station in Kings Plaza that is one of the closest connections for public transit for those who live inside, despite being located nearly three miles away.

"I think it's about time, that the people there get treated as such as all New Yorkers who are valuable, and shopping here in Kings Plaza at the stop you know people won't be looking over their shoulder the whole time waiting," said resident Johana Machado.

While the mayor touted the decrease with the City's 30- and 60-day deadlines for shelter stays, advocates still criticize that policy, as well as a planned sunsetting of a city measure that offered migrants pre-paid debit cards.

"This means expanding access to CityFHEPS vouchers to New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, investing in legal services to help people secure work authorizations and legal status, and ending harmful 30- and 60-day shelter limits that create uncertainty and fear. These investments are essential to ensuring success for all New Yorkers, rather than perpetuating a cycle of instability and hardship," said Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.