New York City Mayor Eric Adams spotted an opportunity to secretly repurpose a 35-story luxury condominium tower in Harlem into housing for illegal immigrants in Harlem, but his plans were foiled when residents noted a company moving bed frames into the abandoned building.
The backlash was sudden but entirely expected as locals bashed Adams for his covert plan and overt stupidity.
When the secret plot was uncovered, residents were understandably dismayed at the city’s lack of transparency. During a contentious town hall meeting, Adams listened to outraged locals’ complaints before announcing a new plan for the building – “high-quality transitional housing for long-term New York City families with children experiencing homelessness.”
Adams made the unplanned visit to the Harlem town hall community meeting to assuage residents’ fears that his sanctuary city policies were hitting too close to home. He was quick to flip on his initial plans when faced with the ire of his constituents and announced that he “had no plans” to use the building to house illegal immigrants after all.
“We’re not moving folks into a brand-new building when you have long-term needs in a community,” the Adams announced. “That’s not going to happen. You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property.”
Published reports indicate that the property, located at 130th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd in Upper Manhattan, was initially established as a 35-unit luxury housing complex in 2007. However, it has remained vacant for approximately ten years following the developers’ loan default.
The New York City Department of Social Services confirmed to CBS New York that the building would be converted into transitional housing for long-term New York families, not migrants.
A spokesman emphasized that the New York Department of Social Services would keep the lines of communication open and work with the community, a stark difference from Adams’ cloak-and-dagger approach with his initial plan.
It’s a much better use for the building, as New York City’s homeless population is increasing alarmingly fast. As of December 2022, New York City’s primary municipal shelter system accommodated 68,884 homeless individuals, with 21,805 homeless children. The numbers continued to rise in November 2023, with a total of 92,824 individuals experiencing homelessness, including 33,365 homeless children.
But it’s a complex battle for New York City. On top of the city’s persistent homeless problem, more than 170,000 illegal immigrants poured into the Big Apple last year, with an estimated 70,000 remaining dependent on the city for every aspect of their care.
Mayor Adams has implemented a 60-day limit on stays in city-run homeless shelters. Additionally, he has been working to relocate migrants to other regions within the state. However, this initiative has faced opposition and legal challenges from local officials.
According to New York’s right-to-shelter law, the city must offer emergency housing to anyone who requests it, regardless of their immigration status. The city is temporarily attempting to suspend these rules through legal proceedings, but the final outcome remains uncertain.
Adams’ administration has spent more than a billion in funding for benefits, medical care, housing, and other needs for illegal immigrants. He has previously estimated that by the end of the upcoming year, New Yorkers would need to cover $12 billion in expenses linked to illegal immigration.
The city has encountered a $7.1 billion budget deficit attributable to illegal immigration over the past two years. Adams has called for massive budget cuts, including hiring freezes and reduced services for New Yorkers, to alleviate the financial sting immigration is causing his city. Nearly every service, from schools to trash pickups, would be included in the budget cuts.
But Adams recently announced that he would cancel the third round of cuts, citing many reasons he felt confident to do so. One surprising reason was that he was slashing aid to migrants. His administration is cutting an extra 10% in spending for asylum seekers. This brings the total reduction in spending on migrants to 30%, following a previously announced 20% reduction in the Preliminary Budget.
For Adams, it’s a tricky situation. He faces criticism no matter what he decides, and while the initial crisis was his fault for upholding New York’s sanctuary city status, there was no way he could keep his head above water in the resulting flood. He’s trying to backtrack, but it’s too late. His progressive policies have destroyed a once-proud city, as well as his political career.
Still, New Yorkers in Upper Manhattan will be relieved that illegal immigrants won’t be sleeping in their backyards. It’s much better to have them in someone else’s yard instead.
