NYC Won't Stop 30-Day Migrant Shelter Evictions, Mayor Says

NEW YORK CITY — Evictions won't stop for asylum seekers who've reached the city's controversial 30-day limit for staying in shelters, Mayor Eric Adams said.

Adams said Tuesday the ongoing asylum seeker crisis — in which 1,000 migrants still come into New York City every week — makes tough decisions necessary, or else the city will run out of space and resources.

He argued that critics of evictions have always contended, no matter the circumstances, that evicting migrants is inhumane.

"It's always 'inhumane' to have to not be able to house 198,000 people," he said, referring to the number of asylum seekers who've arrived in New York City over the past two years.

"There's no good time."

The city is poised to evict roughly 200 migrants who surpassed the 30-day deadline and hadn't shown they qualify for an "extenuating" exception that would keep them in shelters, the New York Daily News first reported.

The limit applies to adult migrants and not families, who have a 60-day timeline.

Evictions for migrant families began in January, and faced intense criticism from city Comptroller Brad Lander, who last week released a study that found the policy was riddled with flaws and missteps.

The roughly 37,000 migrant adults and children who received notices have largely failed to receive promised case management, according to the study. Instead, the disruptions harmed their chances to obtain work authorizations and uprooted children from schools, the study found.

"The 60-day policy was implemented in a haphazard, and arbitrary way without adequate written guidelines in place, without training to the staff or contractors, without sufficient notices to families and with arbitrary outcomes," he said in a news conference.

🚨 INVESTIGATION UPDATE 🚨

Earlier this year, I launched an investigation into @NYCMayorsOffice's cruel 60-Day Rule for asylum-seeking families.

Our findings, released TODAY, are troubling.

The policy was implemented in a haphazard, arbitrary manner: https://t.co/kMklJq5eHR pic.twitter.com/6a73Q3Qq2t
— Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (@NYCComptroller) May 9, 2024

Adams argued the city's migrant crisis continue so long as Republicans in Congress block immigration reform.

"It doesn't end until we can stop this flow," he said.