EXCLUSIVE: Drone footage shows the sheer size of NYC’s Randall’s Island migrant facility to handle the influx of migrants costing the city nearly $10 million a day
Drone footage shows the enormity of a massive “tent city” under construction in New York City to handle a massive influx of migrants.
On Wednesday, hard work was done on a reception center the length of about two football fields, which will accommodate up to 2,000 migrants. Foundations were present at the site indicating several more of the massive structures will be built.
The massive facility is under construction on Randall’s Island as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is forced to take increasingly radical measures to deal with the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived in the city in recent months.
Adams said the location, staff and maintenance costs will all be paid for with state funds after reaching an agreement with Governor Kathy Hochul to fund the facility.
The mayor recently said New York’s migrant crisis is costing the city nearly $10 million a day.
Work was well underway on Wednesday on a shelter on Randall’s Island, about the length of two football fields, which will house up to 2,000 migrants
The massive facility is under construction as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is forced to take increasingly radical measures to deal with the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived in the city in recent months.
It’s the second time Randall’s Island, which sits across the East River from Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has been used for a migrant facility
On Wednesday, about 50 construction workers on Randall’s Island were building a frame for one of the massive white tents that will occupy the Randall’s Island site. Roof panels were also placed on the structure.
Work is believed to have begun earlier this week after reports emerged Friday that the city had reserved the site for the facility. There were foundations for at least two tents.
It’s the second time Randall’s Island, which sits across the East River from Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has been used for a migrant facility. At the end of last year, a temporary location was placed on the island for about a month.
On Wednesday, a fleet of heavy machinery was also on hand at the construction project to transport the massive amounts of building materials needed for the facility.
Several men in hi-vis jackets and hard hats stood guard at a security checkpoint at the entrance to the site, occasionally opening the steel barriers to allow supplies and other vehicles onto the site. None of the men wanted to discuss the timeline of the project, and the workmen on the construction site were also tight-lipped.
The facility spans the entire length of two AstroTurf football fields and a total of four fields are believed to have been designated as sites for the facility
About 50 construction workers on Randall’s Island were building a frame for one of the huge white tents that will occupy the Randall’s Island site
Work is believed to have begun earlier this week after reports emerged Friday that the city had reserved the site for the facility
But the 2,000 migrants that can be accommodated on Randall’s Island are just a fraction of the roughly 60,000 in the city’s care.
The facility spans the entire length of two AstroTurf football fields, and a total of four fields are believed to have been designated as sites for the facility.
“As the number of asylum seekers under our care continues to grow by the hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond, it has become an increasing effort to find enough beds each night,” Adams said.
But the 2,000 migrants that can be accommodated on Randall’s Island are just a fraction of the roughly 60,000 in the city’s care.
Workers must also add the extensive infrastructure needed to house thousands of people, including running water, showers and toilets.
The influx to New York City continued this week as at least six busloads of migrants were brought to the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan from Tuesday to Wednesday.
A large migrant family arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel with their suitcases on Wednesday
In recent months, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has brought nearly 10,000 migrants to the Big Apple
More than 57,000 migrants are already sleeping in city reception centers and emergency housing
The 1,000-room hotel closed during COVID and is now used by the city to house asylum seekers.
The hotel served as a processing center and last week became the epicenter of the country’s migrant crisis. Hundreds of asylum seekers lined the sidewalks outside the facility in the summer heat as the hotel filled to capacity.
More than 57,000 migrants are already sleeping in city shelters and emergency housing systems, with even more being bussed into the city on Wednesday.
In recent months, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has brought nearly 10,000 migrants to the Big Apple.
Adams held a briefing on Wednesday pleading with federal officials for more aid and money to help New York City cope with the crisis.
“We are facing an unprecedented state of emergency,” Adams said. “The immigration system in this country is broken, it has been broken for decades.
“Today, New York City has to pick up the pieces.”
City officials had previously estimated that by the end of fiscal year 2024 in July, the city would spend about $4.3 billion on housing, food and services for migrant families.
Since then, however, the number of migrants entering the city has skyrocketed, and city officials now spend an average of $9.8 million a day — or more than $300 million a month.
By July 2024, the city is now expected to spend a whopping $6.1 billion.
“New Yorkers’ compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not,” Adams said Wednesday. “And our partners at the state and federal level know this.”