Brooklyn Airfield Migrant Center in NYC to Close Amid Drop in Asylum Seekers

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city is closing the migrant shelter at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field in January due to a drop in asylum seekers. 

Key Details: The migrant shelter joins 24 other shelters in New York City that have either closed or are in the process of shutting down. It was set up as an emergency shelter to provide temporary housing for 2,000 immigrants. 

Key Quotes: In Adams’ announcement he said: “Thanks to our smart management strategies, we’ve turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we’re announcing today is even more proof that we’re managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation.” The New York Post (Lean Right) reported, “The number of migrants in the Big Apple has dropped to under 55,000 since a peak in June 2023 of more than 65,000.”

For Context: The right to shelter has a long and contentious history in New York City. According to an agreement between New York City and housing advocates, adult migrants in NYC are only allowed to stay in shelters for 30 days.

How The Media Covered It: ABC News (Lean Left Bias) put the closure in the context of Trump’s mass deportation plan and mentioned concerns about the shelter’s safety for migrants. The New York Post called the shelter “controversial” and added, “Fed-up residents living near city shelters have claimed that the new arrivals have brought more shoplifting, panhandling, gutter scams, and other degenerative activity.”