Unhappy with Mayor Adams' response to the migrant crisis, the City Council is forming its own team of advisors who will draw up a blueprint to help the city deal with its thousands of newcomers.

The Council on Tuesday released a list of people and organizations that will comprise its “New Arrival Strategy Team" — which include former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messenger; former Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios Paoli; and Plachikkat Anatharam, who served in the Mayor’s office of Management and Budget for many years.

Speaker Adrienne Adams initially announced plans for the group earlier this year at her State of the City address.

“I’m proud to form the New Arrivals Strategy Team, bringing together government experts and other critical stakeholders,” said Adams in a statement on Tuesday. I look forward to their work crafting a roadmap that can move our city in the right direction and help our partners in government and the non-profit sector better serve newcomers and longtime residents alike.”

Some of the issues the team will focus on include shelter, housing, culture, language access, health, legal services and labor.

Organizations involved in the team include New York Immigration Coalition, African Communities Together, and the New Immigrant Community Empowerment. 

“The City Council's New Arrivals Strategy Team is an important effort to finally move away from a short-sighted emergency response, and into one where we truly support the long-term success and vitality of asylum seekers and immigrants in New York,” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.

More than 189,000 migrants have arrived in the city since the Spring of 2022, with more than 64,000 in the city’s care according to City Hall.