Tensions flare over migrants in New York City: Staten Island protesters are arrested while trying to stop buses carrying asylum seekers to shelter – as they yelled ‘take them back’
- Footage from the scene shows protesters banging on the bus windows as they tried to prevent the migrants from entering the shelter in Midland Beach
- Over 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived since the spring of 2022, with over currently 10,000 arriving every month, and about 1,000 every single day
- READ MORE: City threatens statues of Washington, Columbus and Jefferson over slavery links in the wake of the migrant crisis
Chaos erupted outside a Staten Island shelter for migrants as protesters tried to stop asylum seekers from moving in.
About 10 protesters were arrested on Tuesday outside a former Island Shores Assisted Living Facility in Midland Beach, where a crowd met migrants with chants including, ‘Take them back, Take them back.’
Footage from the scene shows protesters banging on the bus windows as they tried to prevent the migrants from disembarking and entering the shelter.
Police said an officer suffered a knee injury when one of the protesters, area resident Vadim Dlyakov, resisted arrest. Dlyakov, who lives a block from the assisted living facility, was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and obstructing government administration, as reported by The New York Daily News.
The rest of the arrested protesters were taken into custody and let go with disorderly conduct summonses.
The protest comes as Mayor Eric Adams is facing a furious backlash after more than 110,000 migrants have flooded into the city since the spring of 2022. Many of the migrants have been transported north from Republican border states in a bid to prove the Democrats’ open arms policies are a disaster.
Chaos erupted outside a Staten Island shelter for migrants as protesters tried to stop asylum seekers from moving in.
About 10 protesters were arrested on Tuesday outside a former Island Shores Assisted Living Facility in Midland Beach
The asylum seekers were eventually able to exit the buses – hours after they arrived at the shelter
Adams denounced the protesters on Wednesday, calling it an ‘ugly’ display and saying he will not allow the city to be ‘bullied’ out of ‘carrying out our responsibilities,’ as reported by NY1.
‘We cannot allow the numerical minority that’s showing ugly display of how we deal with the crisis to be used as an example of what New Yorkers are doing,’ he said.
‘I understand the frustration that New Yorkers are going through and understand the frustration that asylum seekers are experiencing as well,’ Adams added,
The asylum seekers were eventually able to exit the buses – hours after they arrived at the shelter.
New York City’s migrant crisis is expected to cost the city more than $4billion this fiscal year if the situation continues – and mayor Adams has warned the influx of asylum seekers could destroy the city.
Despite Adams’ cries for help from the state and federal government, the city has not received aid to cover the extra costs, so the $4.7billion would come from the city’s budget. That amount is equal to the budgets for the city’s sanitation, fire and parks departments combined.
There are now nearly 60,000 migrants in the city’s care, with about 21,000 new migrant children starting school this year.
The city has said less than 2 percent of the migrants are being housed on Staten Island.
City officials have said they expect the asylum seeker population to reach nearly 33,980 households this fiscal year.
A crowd met migrants with chants like, ‘Take them back, Take them back’
New York City’s migrant crisis is expected to cost the city $4.7billion this year. Above is a list of some of the landmarks that have been turned into emergency shelters as officials struggle to house nearly 60,000 migrants in the city’s care
The Roosevelt Hotel (pictured), Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among those designated for housing migrants in Manhattan
Adams warned that the city’s services will be affected by the additional expenses on the budget. He has previously stated the city is planning on cutting services such as library hours, meals for senior citizens, and free, full-day care for three-year-olds.
The city has a legal obligation to give shelter to those who make their way to the metro, and Adams has desperately turned to a variety of city landmarks, makeshift shelters and temporary housing as short-term solutions.
While officials have not revealed how many hotel rooms have been designated for migrants, hotel industry experts believe it’s as many as 10,000, as reported by The City.
The Roosevelt Hotel, Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among the hotels designated for housing migrants in Manhattan.
Long lines of migrants, mostly men from Africa, are now often seen outside the storied locations.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently dispatched a small team to New York City to help determine how the federal government should respond.
The federal government has so far promised the city $140 million to help, although the city has yet to receive any of that money. A city spokesperson later clarified that requests for that money have been made but the delay could be because of routine bureaucratic reasons.
New York officials have been sounding the alarm for months over their inability to right the ship, with Adams cautioning that his office estimates the issue will cost the city in the region of $12 billion in just three years.
He declared a state of emergency in the fall and has repeatedly labelled the deluge a ‘humanitarian crisis’. The mayor’s failed requests for more federal funding led him to condemn President Biden in April for ‘failing’ the city.
The crisis is also far from contained to New York, as numerous major metros have also struggled with housing asylum seekers. In Chicago, residents were stunned to find a police precinct had been turned into a shelter in May.
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