Bronx residents came to a Community Board 1 meeting with one question: will a proposed migrant shelter on Bruckner Boulevard open?
“The answer is yes and at the end of February,” Deputy Mayor Camille Joseph Varlack said to residents.
What You Need To Know
- A migrant shelter will open on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx at the end of February
- The shelter will house 2,200 men, officials said
- The city said 90% of migrants eligible for this shelter have applied for asylum and have a path to work authorization
- According to city data, 37% of migrants are in shelters in Manhattan; 35% in Queens; 21% in Brooklyn; 6% in the Bronx; and 1% on Staten Island
That answer from Varlack received jeers from frustrated community members at the meeting.
“This is a joke. This is a dog and pony show, which is also businesses per usual in the South Bronx,” Melrose resident Martin Rogers said.
The shelter will house 2200 migrant men, according to officials.
The city said 90% of migrants eligible for this shelter have applied for asylum and have a path to work authorization. But that news did little to ease concerns from residents.
“We have enough other shelters. Why combine another one of 2,200 people? That’s extremely a lot,” Hunts Point resident Millie Colon said.
The city says some communities have been more saturated than others when it comes to the migrant crisis.
According to city data, 37% of migrants are in shelters in Manhattan; 35% in Queens; 21% in Brooklyn; 6% in the Bronx; and 1% on Staten Island.
“If they vet them before they enter the shelter, then I will support it, but if they are just going to let any come into this system because they need a bed, unacceptable,” Bronx resident Audrey Dejesus said.
Varlack faced a tough crowd of dozens of community members who say they feel the plan was not properly presented and residents had no voice in the process.
“Clearly communication could have been better before this shelter was cited,” Varlack said.
In a statement, a City Hall spokesperson said, in part, “While we are using the Bruckner site to accommodate migrants still in our care — and ensure people aren’t forced to sleep on the streets — this is a temporary effort that we expect to eventually close, just like the dozens of other sites we have already.”