NYC migrant crisis: Tensions rise in Queens over shelter at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center
NEW YORK - The ongoing migrant crisis in New York City is drawing more and more angry protests as the city struggles to deal with the influx of new arrivals.
Residents in Queens Village voiced their opposition to using the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers during a protest on Friday, demanding the facility's closure.
"We're going to be here until this is taken down," declares one protestor, underscoring the determination of the crowd.
The temporary shelter, a tent provided by the city, has the capacity to house up to 1,000 single adult men, and security measures outside the facility are tight.
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Some demonstrators at Friday's protest said they were against the center because it is too close to a nearby school.
"I pick my children from this school. I have to step over migrants squatting, eating, or just sitting there. Get them away from the school. They can't be there when I pick up my children," said one concerned parent.
Friday's demonstration echoes similar protests in Staten Island, where migrants have been accommodated in an old school building.
NYC migrant crisis: Dueling protests emerge over Staten Island shelter
The Staten Island Inter-Religious Council held a news conference to counter the protests that continue to pop up in front of the shuttered Catholic school, which has been housing dozens of migrants since last month.
Mayor Eric Adams says that over 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city in the last year, and continues to call for more assistance from the state and federal government.
Meanwhile, residents in Queens Village remain resolute, pledging to persist in their protest until the makeshift shelter is dismantled.