New York City is set to close 12 migrant shelters by the end of the year, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office for his second term. The closures, which include two major hotels-turned-shelters in Manhattan and Queens, are part of a larger effort to downsize the city’s sprawling migrant housing network, which has housed hundreds of thousands since 2022.
According to Mayor Eric Adams’ office, the 10 shelters slated for closure are located across various counties in New York, including Albany, Dutchess, Erie, Orange, and Westchester. The shelters were set up in response to an influx of migrants. Additionally, the massive shelter on Randall’s Island, designed to house up to 3,000 people, will close in February 2025, just weeks after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
The closures come as the flow of migrants into the city slows, providing the Hochul and Adams administrations with an opportunity to scale back its emergency housing program. According to the mayor’s office, over 223,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022, which is approximately half the size of the population of Albany, the state capital. As of now, around 58,000 migrants are still living in city-run shelters, a significant decline from previous months.
The cost of the shelter system has been astronomical for New York City taxpayers. According to the New York Post, the city has been paying an average of $352 per night per migrant, with $130 of that amount going directly to hotels for housing, while the rest covers food, social services, and cleaning costs. The total cost of the migrant crisis is projected to reach $12 billion over the next three fiscal years if no significant policy changes are made.
The closure of shelters and the evictions of migrant adults have sparked protests from left-wing activist groups, who argue that the city’s policies violate New York’s long-standing “right to shelter” rule. The rule, which mandates that all individuals in need of shelter are provided with a bed, has been a controversial cornerstone of the city’s social safety net for decades.
On Wednesday, protesters from the group Jews for Racial & Economic Justice stormed City Hall, demanding that Mayor Adams end the evictions. The group chanted, “Immigrants are welcome here – Trumpian policy is not!” while unfurling banners that read, “Mayor Adams: end shelter evictions” and “Housing justice now.”
Experts have suggested that the declining flow of migrants into New York City is partly due to uncertainty surrounding Trump’s second term, as many anticipate he will take immediate and aggressive action on border security.
Trump has promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and to clamp down on illegal immigration, vowing to secure the southern border and end the parole programs that the Biden administration has used to allow migrants to enter the U.S. under expanded “lawful pathways.” The former president has also pledged to shut down the CBP One app, which allows migrants to apply for asylum appointments while in Mexico.
While the number of migrants arriving in New York City has slowed in recent months, there are signs that some migrants may be making a final push to enter the U.S. before Trump’s administration takes effect. The caravan in southern Mexico, which is composed of thousands of individuals from various Central American countries, is reportedly heading toward the U.S. border with hopes of crossing before January 20, 2025.
