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What are 'tent cities’?
Council Member Ari Kagan joined Good Day New York to discuss.
NEW YORK CITY - Mayor Eric Adams is looking for new shelter locations for housing migrants after several sites were shut down because of safety violations.
Over the past few weeks, the FDNY deemed several temporary shelters unsafe for the migrants. Meanwhile, the administration is also looking at outdoor spaces for the more than 65,000 asylum seekers currently in the city's care.
Council Member Ari Kagan joined Good Day New York to discuss the crisis, and possible "tent cities."
What do we know about ‘tent cities’?
When Fox 5 NY's Rosanna Scotto asked Kagan to respond to reports of NYC giving migrants tents that they can set up in parks, he said the city is exploring "all options."
"We know one thing that constantly mayor saying, City Hall saying – all options are on the table, and it's not a question of if, it's a question of when."
NYC limiting migrant families with children to 60-day shelter stays
It's the mayor's latest attempt to provide relief to the city's shelter system and finances as it grapples with more than 120,000 international migrants who have come to New York, many without housing or the legal ability to work.
Kagan said the current situation is completely unsustainable.
He continued to say he is an immigrant himself but came to America the "right way."
How does the crisis impact the city budget?
"In our city council, we have chair of the finance committee. His name is Justin Brennan. He wants more billions of dollars for migrant services, more money to release thousands of Rikers Island detainees to the street."
NYC migrant crisis: Adams says migrants sleeping on NYC streets is 'not if, it's when'
Mayor Eric Adams is facing more fallout for his decision to limit shelter stays for migrant families to 60 days, with advocates saying the choice will force both migrants and homeless New Yorkers to sleep on the street.
Kagan said when members of the Common-Sense Caucus asked for more money for different purposes, such as more veteran services, he was told – "no."
"Money exists, but for the wrong way."
Kagan said "if we do not stop current policies, it will be like whole city will be flooded. It's already happening."
He completely disagrees with all options on the table, saying there should be only one option: "We need to prioritize New Yorkers and interests of for the city residents."
What can you do when they come in buses every day?
"Why we continue to accept these buses to begin with?"
NYC migrant crisis: Mayor Adams says 'everyday is a challenge'
The Mayor says the crisis is accelerating quickly, and shows no sign of slowing down.
When asked about turning the buses around, he agreed.
Kagan said people need to come to New York City in the right way – "It should be legal immigration. It should be not chaos. Chaos is not the solution."
What can be done about right to shelter?
"We continue to create more and more incentives for everybody to come here illegally."
Kagan said they need to suspend certain aspects of sanctuary city laws and inform.
"We are a country of law. I came to America because it's a country based on law, not country based on chaos and Marxism."