NYC Shutters Migrant Tent Camp at Former Airfield As Adams Administration Poised To Work With Trump on Immigration Crackdown

New York City has closed a large migrant housing complex at Floyd Bennett Field, a former airfield in Brooklyn, as the city continues to scale back its emergency shelter system in response to declining arrivals of asylum seekers. The closure comes as Mayor Eric Adams faces criticism for signaling potential collaboration with the incoming Trump administration on immigration enforcement.

The dismantling of the camp, which housed approximately 2,000 migrants at its peak, marks part of a broader strategy to reduce the city's migrant housing capacity as the Mayor's Office recently announced that 13 additional shelters would close by June 2025, including Hall Street in Brooklyn, one of the city's largest facilities. The closures will eliminate approximately 10,000 beds.

According to Mayor Adams, these efforts have helped over 178,000 asylum seekers transition toward self-sufficiency, with 75% of eligible adults in the city's system now applying for or receiving work authorization. However, recent city data shows new arrivals have decreased for 27 consecutive weeks, with the number of migrants in shelters falling to roughly 50,000 from a peak of 69,000 in January 2024, according to data from the Mayor's office.

While the Adams administration credits its management strategies and federal border policy changes for this decline, advocates argue that the city must do more to provide permanent housing options and legal assistance for migrants while ensuring their protection under local sanctuary laws.

On Thursday, tensions escalated as lawmakers and advocates rallied at City Hall, urging Mayor Adams to uphold the city's sanctuary policies, which some reports claim he's considering to eliminate by executive order. Critics at the rally, including Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, warned against any alignment with federal immigration enforcement that undermines local protections for immigrants.

"We do not, should not ,take part in Trump's extremist, xenophobic and racist agenda," said Councilwoman Alexa Avilés according to Eyewitness News 7. "New York City says, no, we do not want to participate in that. Our city resources should be dedicated to New Yorkers, not to to push his agenda forward."

The mayor's recent meeting with incoming "border czar" Thomas Homan has drawn sharp criticism, particularly after Adams expressed support for deporting undocumented individuals involved in violent crimes. Adams even received praise from Homan the day after the meeting:

"Look, I sat down with the mayor for well over an hour. He gets it. And today he proved that as the mayor in New York City, he's more concerned with public safety than politics. I wish the mayor of Chicago and the San Diego City council mayor and Governor Pritzker, I wish they'd all take a page out of Mayor Eric Adams' playbook"

As the city prepares for a new federal administration, Adams faces the dual challenge of balancing public safety concerns with his commitment to supporting the migrant population. To put even more pressure on the mayor, he faces reelection in November of 2025.