BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Confusion and frustration erupted at a Brooklyn shelter Saturday as migrants say they were suddenly told to pack up and relocate.
The mayor's office is pushing back, saying they were notified in advance.
PIX11 cameras were rolling as migrants left the shelter at 455 Jefferson Street with their belongings in hand. Migrants and advocates claim individuals staying at the shelter were blindsided by last-minute notifications to vacate the facility.
The move prompted outrage and immediate action from community organization Food Fight Brooklyn. The group launched a donation drive, urging New Yorkers to provide coats and suitcases to support migrants.
“They say that they’re moving 80 men today to put them in a congregant shelter that they’re not familiar with, isolated from the neighborhood that they had become accustomed to being in,” said an organizer with Food Fight Brooklyn who did not give his name. “As we heard our migrant friends say, we don’t need more pushing people around from shelter to shelter at the last minute. People need permanent, affordable, dignified housing so that people can work their way to the American dream.”
Advocates criticized what they see as poor communication, sparking confusion among shelter residents. City Hall, however, disputes claims of miscommunication -- stating that migrants were notified of the transfer on Tuesday and informed of their new shelter location on Randall's Island.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said in a statement:
“We are constantly assessing the needs and capacity at all of our migrant shelters and how to best serve our populations. As part of our efforts to consolidate migrant shelters, we will begin serving single adult women and adult families at the Jefferson, and single adult men who are currently guests there are being transferred to other sites. As always, we properly notified guests in advance of this change and will continue to make efforts to mitigate impacts on all guests and staff."
The change in shelter locations comes as the city sees a decline in the number of migrants in their care. As of December 29th, the city says 400 people entered their care while over 1200 people left the system.
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