Officials from New York City unveiled the warm living arrangements at the new migrant facility intended for single adult males. The illegal immigrant camp has amenities like big-screen TVs, Xbox gaming consoles, laundry service, round-the-clock snacks, and “culturally appropriate” food.
Up to 500 single men traveling by bus from southern Border States will be temporarily housed at the Randall’s Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center.
New York City has established a migrant tent city on Randall’s Island to address the busing of migrants. Although it can be expanded to 1,000 beds, the tent city can house 500 migrants.
The facility is designed to temporarily house migrants for up to 96 hours. The men are welcome to stay at the center for as long as they like, though.
In front of big-screen cable TVs and the most recent Xbox gaming console are couches and coffee tables. There is a recreation area with two popcorn machines, ping-pong tables, foosball tables, and board games, according to The New York Post.
Additionally, there is free Wi-Fi, a bank of 12 phones that can be used for international calls.
The new facility also offers laundry assistance, showers, and lockers for migrants to store their belongings. Along with offering 24-hour security, the location is also anticipated to offer bus services.
Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol told reporters on Wednesday, “The meals are all culturally appropriate — it is South American fare.”
Some people speculate that the guests may be living better than many of the city’s legal residents, which may make it challenging to persuade some of the migrant men to leave because of the new amenities.
The site’s creation was mandated by Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who declared a state of emergency in response to the influx of migrants. Concerns about flooding led to the decision to move the temporary shelter from Orchard Beach in the Bronx to Randall’s Island.
The shelters had to be moved for $325,000 and then set up again for another $325,000, in a report by FOX 5.
The Randall’s Island site serves as just one of many responses to house the growing number of migrants, as of last week, the city claims at least 18,600 asylum seekers have entered the city.
A temporary humanitarian relief center has also been established at the Row NYC Hotel in midtown Manhattan to house 200 families initially and possibly help more families in the coming weeks. In a statement made last week, Adam also mentioned that 46 hotels in the city had been used as temporary shelters.
Earlier this month, a unit of 100 reservists was activated for deployment, to help staff to the new location; New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has activated National Guard members.
In a report by the New York Post, Hochul spokesman Avi Small said, “The National Guard will provide logistical and operational support to the city’s relief center once it is ready to open.”
No official decision has yet been made, but Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed earlier this month that the company has been in talks with New York City about housing migrants moving to the city.
A spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line said that,
“The chartering of cruise ships to companies, government entities and other organizations for various uses is a standard business practice across our industry.” The spokesperson added that, “While we can confirm that New York City has approached us about a potential charter of a cruise vessel, no agreement has been reached and we cannot speculate about the outcome of any ongoing business discussions.”
Omg. The criminal migrants live better than people in NYC https://t.co/UOHSjxgKLy
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 20, 2022
Sources: Dailywire, Nypost, Thebharatexpressnews