Yet more outrage erupted in New York City when Democratic lawmakers proposed stripping limitations on how long illegal migrants may be housed in shelters funded by taxpayers.
Word leaked out over the plan to be proposed by Democratic Councilwoman Shahana Hanif to erase the “length of shelter stay limitation” by the end of the month. A public hearing on her scheme is scheduled for Mar. 1.
She clearly believes that the responsibility to house, feed and clothe illegal migrants should be borne by city taxpayers forever. Currently the system operates under a mandate from Democratic Mayor Eric Adams last July that limited the time illegals may stay in city-operated shelters to 60 days.
The time allotted for a free stay in the city’s homeless shelter system was then lowered to 30 days for single adults. Then they are required to reapply to stay longer.
Interviewed by the New York Post, Hanif called being evicted from a shelter a human rights violation by both the city and state governments.
Harlem NYC.
Black Harlem residents speak out against the migrant crisis and migrant being housed in Harlem, NY .
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Not all New York City lawmakers are on board with erasing the current check-in system. Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola of Queens told the Post, “The 30- and 60-day check-ins exist for a reason.”
Ariola explained “they provide opportunities for city agencies to make contact with migrants in the shelter system and ensure that they’re on a path toward living on their own.”
Adams repeatedly insists that the city is “full,” and there is no doubt that the homeless system is bursting at the seams.
According to the Department of Homeless Services, the first four months of Fiscal Year 2024 saw a staggering 53% increase in sheltered individuals. The agency said the surge was “driven by the unprecedented increase in entrants, primarily asylum seekers who made up over half of all entrants.”
An average of 83,985 people were housed daily in the system during the quarter. That compared to 54,738 the year prior.
The report further cited asylum seekers as the impetus for a 147% increase in families with children residing in the city’s shelters. There was a corresponding 185% increase in free housing demand for adult families.
