New York City is taking further steps to address the influx of migrants by opening two additional emergency centers aimed at providing housing and social services to those in need. Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion as the number of arrivals surpassing 74,000, and over 47,000 individuals still under the care of City Hall.

Referred to as Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers by officials, the two new mega-shelters will be situated on the Upper West Side. They will offer a sufficient number of rooms to accommodate over 800 single women and adult families seeking refuge.

These shelters will supplement the existing network of approximately 170 emergency shelters and social service hubs established by the Department of Homeless Services and the city’s public hospitals corporation since the onset of the migrant crisis last year.

In a statement, Adams emphasized the need for additional support and funding from the federal government to expedite the process by which migrants, many fleeing political violence and economic hardship in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, can qualify for work permits. He also stressed the importance of federal aid in offsetting the estimated $4 billion cost associated with the crisis.

“New York City is facing a humanitarian crisis unlike any other before,” said Adams. “With more than 47,000 asylum seekers still in the city’s care and thousands continuing to arrive each week, we need a national decompression strategy to handle this national issue.”

“Without federal aid and a strategy to move migrants around the nation, we are unable to continue treating arriving asylum seekers with the dignity and compassion that they deserve,” he added.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)