Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 10
Mayor Eric Adams is planning to impose a curfew at the violence-plagued Randall’s Island migrant camp — where one asylum seeker was stabbed to death in January, The Post has learned.
The 11 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew will go into effect March 20.
Residents at the tent encampment will be notified of the new rule on Wednesday, according to the plan. Exemptions to the curfew include work, travel to school, legal or medical appointments, and emergencies.
There are a combined 3,000 male and female adults housed on cots in the encampment, sleeping side by side with little to no privacy. One police officer recently assigned an overnight shift there told The Post he was startled at the living conditions, with so many people living in such close quarters.
“It’s insane. It’s a powder keg,” the cop said. “It’s reminiscent of the refugee camp in the movie ‘Scarface.‘”
“People are fighting. There are migrants jumping over the gates to get on the grounds. There were no metal detectors. I was surprised.”
The officer said cops from other patrols have been assigned overtime shifts at Randall’s Island to assist security guards in trying to maintain safety and order. The mayor recently said metal detectors will be installed at Randall’s Island. City Hall confirmed Tuesday that a curfew is being imposed there.
The Randall’s Island shelter is managed by the city Health + Hospital agency. The site will be the 187th homeless shelter covered by a curfew out of 217 sites. The curfew is in line with those at city homeless shelters and other respite centers, a City Hall spokesperson said.
“This policy will allow for more efficient capacity management for migrants in the city’s care,” the spokesperson added. “New York City continues to lead the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, and that includes prioritizing the health and safety of both asylum seekers in our care and New Yorkers who live in the communities surrounding the emergency shelters we manage.”
A male migrant was stabbed to death in a dispute at the Randall’s Island shelter on January 6. Two migrants also were recently arrested for assaulting a security guard there.
The city has assisted, sheltered and fed some 200,000 migrants since the border crisis exploded in the spring of 2022. The city and state have committed billions of dollars to cover the costs, with little help from the federal government.
Source: NY Post
