Mayor Eric Adams looks to house migrants in empty NYC public schools over the summer

10 months in NY Post

Mayor Adams’ administration is eyeing the use of public school buildings that will be empty over the summer to temporarily house migrants, The Post has learned.

A list of school buildings has been compiled by the Office of Emergency Management in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office, sources familiar with the plans said.

Possible temporary shelters include New Dorp HS on Staten Island, Mark Twain Middle School for the Gifted and Talented in Coney Island and Russell Sage Middle School in Forest Hills, sources said.

There are 20 to 30 schools being closely looked at to process and temporarily shelter migrants, according to the sources.

City Hall faced a firestorm of criticism when it previously placed migrants in school gyms.

“Here we go again! Why again with the schools?” said Brooklyn Councilman Ari Kagan, whose district includes Mark Twain.

“Schools are not appropriate places to house migrants. I will be against it. The community will be against it,” the Republican added.

He noted the outcry when migrants were temporarily placed in the gym at PS 188 in Coney Island. They were relocated shortly thereafter.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said he opposes putting migrants at a high school “in the heart of New Dorp.”

Mayor Eric Adams' administration is eyeing the use of public school buildings that will be empty over the summer to temporarily house migrants, The Post has learned.

Possible temporary shelters include New Dorp HS on Staten Island, Mark Twain Middle School for the Gifted and Talented in Coney Island and Russell Sage Middle School in Forest Hills.

“It doesn’t make sense whatsoever. Staten Island didn’t create this problem and shouldn’t have to solve this problem,” said Fossella, a former Republican congressman who blamed the US’ lax immigration and border enforcement policy for the migrant crisis.

“How should the problem be solved? Send the migrants back to where they came from and apply for asylum. We rolled the carpet, and we shouldn’t be surprised that the number of migrants coming in is unsustainable.”

The city Department of Education oversees 1,300 buildings with 130 million square feet of floor space throughout the five boroughs.

Brooklyn Councilman Ari Kagan said, "Here we go again! Why again with the schools?" adding that "Schools are not appropriate places to house migrants. I will be against it. The community will be against it."

Many schools will be unused until students return for the new school year on Sept. 7.

City Hall confirmed Wednesday it’s looking at using school facilities to handle the waves of migrants still streaming into the city from the southern border.

“As Mayor Adams has said repeatedly, we have more than 51,800 asylum-seekers in our care and have reached capacity,” a mayoral spokesperson said.

“While this option is not ideal, none are, and we are in no position to take anything off the table.”

The city has opened 179 emergency sites, including 12 Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers in scores of hotels across the city.

With shelter and space in the city dwindling, Adams has ordered that migrants be sent to hotels in the Hudson Valley and farther upstate while monitoring whatever private office space is available.

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