After a temporary migrant relief center was removed from Orchard Beach and relocated, the Randall’s Island relief centers are set to open tomorrow.  

Randall’s Island will now hold over six acres of emergency shelter, made for the tens of thousands of migrants making their way into New York City.  

The first stop for those entering the area is the intake center, where asylum seekers are greeted by staff.  

There is a recreation room for them to unwind, landlines for people to contact their families, laundry areas, a dining area and sleeping units with cots. There are 449 beds in each of the two sleeping units. 

To prevent overcrowding, the plan is to first bring in 500 people to sleep in these units, with one person in every other bed.  

The facility is for single men, but asylum-seeking families are able to go to an intake center at The Row Hotel in Manhattan.  

While the Randall’s Island location is meant for a temporary stay up to 96 hours, there is no official limit.  

Though the intake will only begin with 500 people, the facility is structured to house up to 1,000 people.  

When asked what he would say to those who call the tents 'inhumane,' New York City emergency management commissioner Zachary Iscol says the city looked at nearly 100 spots to design the shelter, it's designed to withstand all weather, and that they are working with the state to create transportation access. 

"This is also a temporary facility. People will not be living here,” said Iscol. “This is a temporary solution for people to figure out what their next steps are going to be." 

Earlier in October, Mayor Eric Adams declared a migrant emergency as the number of people in city shelters this year broke the previous record from 2019, going on to highlight that the influx of migrants could cost New York City over $1 billion this fiscal year.  

City officials did not give a specific cost for the Randall’s Island operation, though they said it cost $325,000 to deconstruct the initial relief center that was planned for Orchard Beach and an additional $325,000 to construct the new site on Randall’s Island.