As city officials look for locations to place migrants, they have set up an emergency site inside a gymnasium at an elementary school in Brooklyn.
Inside the gymnasium of P.S. 188 in Coney Island, more than 60 cots are ready to be used.
Hundreds of asylum seekers are arriving in the city each day, according to city officials. Just in the last week, 4,200 migrants were processed in the city.
As of Saturday, nobody had moved into the Coney Island site, but many in the community have strong reactions to the news of the shelter possibly opening.
“I believe they are doing it because school is getting ready to close. And this is just like a quick fix. You put a Band-Aid on it, but in the long run, the federal government got to step in,” Coney Island resident Jerome Buckner said.
The move comes as an influx of migrants is expected to grow after Title 42, a pandemic restriction on asylum seekers, expired Thursday.
Brooklyn City Councilman Justin Brannan says the community was not informed the shelter was opening.
“Our compassion is without end, but our resources are not. And the people of Coney Island deserve better. And they deserve a heads up and they deserve to understand what’s happening,” Brannan said.
Fellow Brooklyn City Councilman Ari Kagan said in a statement that he blames President Joe Biden and his border policies for the crisis, adding that he opposes housing migrants in the gym.
“I will repeat again that school gyms are not hotels or motels. This is a gym for the children of Coney Island. Coney Island children should not have to pay the price for failed federal administration open border policies,” Kagan said.
As officials consider other possible emergency sites, the mayor and governor are also looking at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
Gov. Kathy Hochul asked Biden for the federal land, saying it is necessary to help them tackle the influx of migrants.
New Yorkers enjoying the day at Floyd Bennett Field Saturday were not opposed to the suggestion.
“I mean, I think it’s okay. I mean, they have to put some people somewhere,” Brooklyn resident Jason Chen said
City officials say they have helped more than 65,000 asylum seekers and created more than 130 emergency shelter sites.
Now, they are asking for help from the state and federal government to tackle this humanitarian crisis.