NYC migrant shelter housing single men could add more, despite local resident protests
QUEENS - The Creedmoor migrant center in Queens has been a hotbed for protests, and yet again, residents who live in the area are fighting back against New York City Mayor Eric Adams – this time over a proposal to increase capacity at the facility.
Queens lawmakers say more migrants may soon be put up in the temporary shelter at the facility on Hillside Avenue in Queens Village.
Around 1,000 single men are already staying, and now, State assembly member Ed Braunstein says the mayor's office has indicated as many as 170 more men may come.
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New migrant center at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center ready to house thousands
It’s expected to house up to one thousand single adult men, as the number of migrants under the city’s care nears 60,000.
"Enough is enough," Braunstein said. "We've done our fair share. We're managing 1,000 new residents in this community. The buses are crowded, the communities concerned."
Residents and local lawmakers want to send a message to the mayor that increasing the number of migrants at the campus is unacceptable.
"This defies imagination," said St. Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky. "It's wrong, and we're here to say, we've taken our fair share, more than our fair share."
The site has been a controversial one, prompting a number of protests, like one back in September. Neighbors said it's too close to a senior center and an elementary school.
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A rally drew thousands of angry protesters in opposition to the plan to house 1,000 migrants in a tent city at the site of Creedmoor State Hospital.
It's not clear when there may be more migrants moved into the shelter.
FOX 5 NY did reach out to the mayor's office about the lawmakers' concern. A spokesperson said, "We encourage our partners in government to work with us collaboratively to assist the state in its efforts to relocate thousands of eligible migrant families."
The mayor has publicly and repeatedly told people in every borough they have to do their part to help the city deal with the migrant crisis, and he said residents who are concerned should appeal to lawmakers in Albany and Washington, DC.