Four Measures Taken by New York City's Government to Address the Migrant Crisis

NEW YORK CITY - Around 170,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since 2022, according to figures from December. Since then, the city has been struggling to accommodate the seemingly ever-increasing influx of people, a situation that has overwhelmed the city's shelter systema. In October, Mayor Eric Adams even went to Latin America to tell migrants to stop coming.

"We don't want people to take this dangerous trek to come to New York City, which is out of room," he said in a statement in October. "We don't have unlimited supplies."

However, the number of migrants in New York City grew by almost 54,000 since Adams conveyed that message — at one point, almost 600 migrants were arriving in the city every day. Here are four measures the Adams administration has taken address the situation ever since:

Shelter Curfews

The mayor imposed curfews on four migrant shelters in Queens and Brooklyn this week in response to community complaints.

New Yorkers living near the JFK respite center in Queens, the 35th Street Shelter in Astoria, the Lincoln shelter on 110th Street in Manhattan and the Stockton Street shelter in Brooklyn, filed several complaints against migrants staying in these shelters, ranging from panhandling, shoplifting, going door-to-door asking for clothing and violent episodes.

The 1,900 migrants housed in these shelters will now have a curfew of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

According to New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol, the mayor plans to extend the curfew to many of the 200 shelters housing migrants.

Shelter Stay Limits

One of Adams' most controversial decisions has been to impose shelter stay limits. As emergency shelters are nearing capacity and the number of migrants coming in hasn't dwindled,limits were imposed in an effort to free up space.

Migrants who are single adults have 30 days to stay in a shelter, while migrant families with children have 60 days. After their time is up, they will be evicted and will have to reapply for shelter housing — placements in the same hotel aren't guaranteed. This caused concern among advocates who fear it may disrupt migrant children's education and is unnecessary given cold weather conditions.

Lawsuits Against Bus Companies

Earlier this month, Adams, along with New York City Corporation Counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix announced a lawsuit against 17 charter bus transportation companies who were bringing migrants as part of Texas' "Lone Star" operation.

New York authorities claim that no paying for the cost of continued care violates New York's social services law. The incurred costs for migrants is at least approximately $708 million, according to the Adams administration.

"New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone," said Adams in a statement.

The lawsuit seeks to recoup the approximately $708 million lost, the costs for migrants still in New York City's care and for all those who will be transported in the future as a part of Abbott's plan.

Arrival Rules for Buses

Late last month, the mayor also issued an executive order that requires buses transporting migrants to provide a 32 hour notice before arriving in the five boroughs. The buses will only be able to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Monday through Friday. The order will also only allow buses to drop migrants off at one spot: the Port Authority Bus Terminal on West 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

Failure to comply will result in class B misdemeanor that could lead to fines and buses being impounded. The measure comes as New York City is expecting a surge in migrants. In the last week of December, 14 buses arrived to the city on a single night — the highest number ever recorded.

"We cannot allow buses with people needing our help to arrive without warning at any hour of day and night. This not only prevents us from providing assistance in an orderly way, it puts those who have already suffered so much in danger," said Adams in a statement last month. "To be clear, this is not stopping people from coming, but about ensuring the safety of migrants and making sure they can arrive in a coordinated and orderly way."

New York City is not the only city struggling to grapple with the influx of migrants coming in. The mayors of Chicago and Denver have also voiced their critiques against Abbott. The three mayors continue to plead for more federal funding and coordination with Texas to deal with the overwhelming amount of newcomers to their cities.