Closed College Point School To House Hundreds Of Asylum Seekers

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A school in College Point will shelter 300 asylum seekers, Council Member Vickie Paladino said Thursday.

St. Agnes School in College Point, located at 13-20 124th St., will temporarily house asylum seekers for three months after the all-girls school permanently closed in 2021.

Paladino, who was notified Thursday morning, said the asylum seekers will remain at the building until they are placed at a permanent shelter.

"This location is completely unacceptable," Paladino said. "College Point is already suffering with overburdened infrastructure and crime."

Dozens of people gathered at a school in College Point Thursday to rally against a new shelter for asylum seekers in Queens.

"I will continue to pressure City Hall to close this facility at the earliest possible date, and will not rest until that day comes," Paladino said.

The announcement comes after Mayor Eric Adams announced the parking lot adjacent to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center will house up to 1,000 single adult men seeking asylum.

The shelter has faced opposition from lawmakers amid the lack of public transportation and other services in the area.