As NYC Passes 27K Asylum Seekers, New Migrant Site To Open In Midtown

NEW YORK CITY — A fourth migrant housing center soon will open as the number of asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City surpassed 27,000, officials said.

The Stewart Hotel in Midtown will be used to serve families with children who are seeking asylum, City Hall officials announced Tuesday.

Officials said they plan to use 600 rooms in the hotel facility, which will open in the coming weeks.

Mayor Eric Adams said that the city currently has more than 19,500 asylum seekers in its care — a number that continues to grow and requires federal and state help, he said.

“This fourth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will provide asylum seekers with a place to stay, access support, and get to their final destination," he said in a statement.

The announcement was followed by another one Wednesday that eight additional sites providing legal, medical and school enrollment help will be opened across the city.

Asylum seekers, mostly fleeing turmoil in Venezuela, have become a major issue for New York City.

The flow of migrants — in part increased by busloads shipped to the city by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — at one point threatened to overwhelm the city's shelter system, officials said. Adams responded by setting up migrant centers — a costly plan that has achieved decidedly mixed success in the view of many advocates.

But the influx has slowed in recent weeks after President Joe Biden's administration changed rules for Venezuelan asylum seekers at the U.S. border.

Still, asylum seekers are still coming into the city. On Nov. 10, there were at least 23,800 who had arrived, officials said.

That number currently stands at 27,200, according to City Hall.