Bayside Pols React To Tent Shelters For Arriving Asylum Seekers

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Queens lawmakers said residents in Eastern Queens were not given prior notice of the new tent shelters for arriving asylum seekers set to be based in Bellerose and Aqueduct Race Track.

Senator John Liu, Council Member Vickie Paladino, Assembly Member Ed Braunstein, and others signed a joint statement urging city leaders to carry out meticulous planning and careful communication to ensure the safety of residents as the tent shelters welcome migrants.

"Communication from the Administration and the State must include the involvement of local elected officials and community leaders to ensure the viability of these shelters, and the welfare of the surrounding communities and migrants seeking refuge," reads the statement.

One of the shelters will be located at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Bellerose, while the other will be set up in the parking lot of the Aqueduct Race Track in South Ozone Park.

Borough President Donovan Richards confirmed Sunday the city is eying these facilities.

"As the city considers these locations, we can't lose sight of those at the heart of this crisis," Richards said on Twitter. "Many asylum seekers are young families who have made perilous, months-long journeys across continents, carrying little but hope for a safer, prosperous future."

But Council Member Joann Ariola, who represents South Ozone Park, said that the area "is surrounded on all sides by residential neighborhoods, and those neighborhoods are already underserved by city services as is."

Liu, Paladino, Braunstein, and others also said that Bellerose presents a set of problems as the area lacks sufficient infrastructure for migrants and residents already living in them.

"Eastern Queens is a transit desert, and those seeking asylum must have access to transportation that allows them to seek and receive the vital supportive services our city can provide," the lawmakers said.

More than 3,000 new asylum seekers entered city shelters in the first week of July, with a total of about 53,000 migrants sheltered at these facilities.