Migrant shelters are full, so what's next? Sleeping on 45th Street
NEW YORK - The area surrounding The Roosevelt Hotel has become something of a spectacle.
On one side of 45th Street, there’s been crowds of people, curious as to what’s going on with the asylum-seekers. They’re stopping, looking; even taking pictures.
And that confusion is on both sides of the barricades. One woman waiting on line here told FOX 5 NY that the only way that they know what’s going on is by watching the news or by what other people here are telling them.
At this point, some people here have been sleeping on the sidewalk, on broken-down cardboard or other makeshift beds, for days.
They’re waiting to get processed and find out where they can go from here.
Migrants arrive in NYC to find no water, bathrooms, or work
Mayor Adams says the migrant crisis has hit a breaking point.
A bus dropped off a few other families at The Roosevelt Hotel – the official intake center to process asylum seekers and refugees.
The hotel is only temporarily hosting families with children.
One family from Venezuela said that they’ve been treated very well here and are grateful to be in this country where they feel safe.
Dozens of recently arrived migrants to New York City camp outside of the Roosevelt Hotel, which has been made into a reception center, as they try to secure temporary housing on August 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
One young man said he was working to become a petroleum engineer before the political and economic crisis started in his country and hopes to continue that degree here.
But for single, adult men looking for shelter, the situation is more complicated.
A police officer hands out pizza to dozens of recently arrived migrants to New York City as they camp outside of the Roosevelt Hotel on August 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A 30-year-old man from Chad, who did not want to be on camera, told FOX 5 that he came here for peace. Even though he’s been outside for two days, he says it’s worth it to be here.
For months, the mayor has said the city’s shelter system is at capacity, and without federal help, scenes like this will become more common in New York.