Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to commit to housing even 500 of New York City’s 40,000-plus migrants, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday — as he expressed support for the “concept” of putting the new arrivals in sports stadiums.
Adams said he was still “collaborating” with Hochul’s administration after filing what he said was an “emergency mutual aid request” last week.
But Adams also said Hochul “fully understood the urgency of the moment.”
“You know, a week and a half ago, in one week, we got 3,000 people. In one day, we got over 800. Just think about those numbers,” he said during an unrelated City Hall news conference.
“And we’re asking for the entire state to treat this as an emergency and the governor understands that clearly. And we believe that our continuing dialogue and our continued coordination is going to help us address this issue that we are facing.”
Eric Adams approved of housing some of the city’s migrants in sporting stadiums. Stefan Jeremiah for NY Post
On Friday, Adams said he needed Hochul to provide housing for an initial 500 migrants “beginning this weekend” because the city was at “our breaking point.”
But following Monday’s federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, Adams acknowledged he hadn’t yet received a firm, yes-or-no answer from Albany.
Adams exclusively told The Post on Sunday that he was also backing a plan proposed by US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to relocate migrants from the Big Apple to other cities upstate.
Also Tuesday, Adams was asked whether he favored housing migrants in sports stadiums where they could be provided with an array of social and other services.
“Yes, I believe in that concept of putting people in settings with all those services, the wraparound services that are needed, and we have been attempting to identify locations that we can do so,” he said.
“The federal government has land here. We need that land open, We have been in conversation with the state and look[ed] at some of the state locations,” he said. “And there’s a real collaboration that we are attempting to do to get spaces to do just that.”
The city is paying to put migrants in hotel rooms. Dennis A. Clark
Adams didn’t identify any of the sites or elaborate on his plans.
Last year, Adams ordered the construction of a tent city for migrants at Orchard Beach in The Bronx but abandoned it before it opened due to flooding concerns.
Adams then relocated the massive facility to Randall’s Island, where it was never fully occupied and closed after less than a month — despite plush amenities that included couches, TVs and video games, as well as “culturally appropriate” meals cooked on-site.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to commit to housing even 500 of New York City’s 40,000-plus migrants. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said the city spent “about $325,000 to demobilize from Orchard Beach and another $325,000 to set up” Randall’s Island but City Hall has declined to detail the full costs.
Hochul’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
But on Sunday, she told reporters that she’d spoken to Adams earlier in the day and assured him that “we will be continuing to help him.”
“We’ve been helping him for many months and will continue to give him support,” she added.