NYC migrant crisis: Asylum seekers seek shelter, work opportunities in makeshift encampment

NEW YORK - A small makeshift encampment has emerged under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, housing around a dozen male asylum seekers who claim to have no other viable options for shelter. 

The asylum seekers had been residing at a respite center in Clinton Hill, but they opted to leave due to concerns over safety. 

According to one of the men living in the encampment, their belongings were stolen at the shelter. Additionally, the center was overcrowded, accommodating nearly 100 people with just one bathroom, and some individuals would use drugs while others brushed their teeth in the same sink.

One of the asylum seekers told FOX 5 NY that what they want most is to work and establish themselves as citizens.

Mayor Eric Adams has recently stated that New York City has no more room for migrants and asylum seekers, announcing a 60-day deadline for single adult asylum seekers and migrants to stay in shelters.

The move has raised concerns among advocates, such as Nilbia Coyote, the Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment. She believes that such a timeline might leave many individuals with limited options, emphasizing the need for providing asylum seekers with the right to work.

"As New Yorkers, we know how difficult it is for us, for people with papers, with savings, with bank accounts to get affordable housing. Now, imagine someone that is struggling to start their lives in the city. They don't have a bank account, they don't have savings. They don't have deposits to show," Coyote said.