A massive 2,200 male-only migrant shelter has opened in the Bronx despite residents venting their opposition to the move and as the city announces the closures of other migrant shelters throughout New York City, including the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan.
The new facility, a 275,000-square-foot former warehouse, began accepting migrants on Saturday, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital.
The opening of the facility, located at 825 E. 141st St., and the prospect of such a large influx of migrant men being housed in the community sparked furious scenes at a Bronx community board meeting last month where residents also said that they were never consulted on the decision.
Furious Bronx residents expressed their anger at a community board meeting last month after learning they were powerless to stop the massive 2,200 male-only migrant shelter from opening in their neighborhood. (Fox 5 NY)
Diana Ayala, a Democratic councilwoman who represents parts of the Bronx and Manhattan, including where the shelter is located, said at last month’s community board meeting that she recommended the new Bruckner Boulevard site, as well as other locations in the Bronx.
She said the migrants have a right to shelter and the city is legally obligated to house the migrants.
“They can’t leave them out on the street, they can’t let them sleep on the street, unless they want to. They have to put them somewhere,” said Ayala, who praised the Adams administration’s handling of the crisis.
Tyreek Goodman, a member of the Bronx County Conservative Party who has protested outside the facility, said that the money being spent on the shelter could have been better spent on local residents.
“We live in an area where there’s a high crime rate, a high poverty rate,” Goodman told Fox News Digital.
“Every day, somebody’s being evicted. The price of living has gone up. How could you not put us first when you can clearly see your citizens’ struggles? That building could have been used for the youth, elderly, veterans, and our own homeless.”
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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