Students from a New York City high school attended classes remotely on Wednesday while nearly 2,000 unlawful migrants were housed on the campus Tuesday evening.
The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that roughly 1,900 unlawful migrants were transferred from their tent shelters at Floyd Bennett Field and moved to the James Madison High School auditorium due to concerns about the incoming winter storm, as reported by CBS News.
The school has confirmed that the campus was used as a “temporary overnight respite center” and that the students at the school would be required to temporarily “pivot” to online learning, according to Fox News.
Adams told reporters on Tuesday that the decision was made out of an “overabundance of caution” and that the city did everything possible “to make sure people are safe,” according to The New York Daily News.
Emily Ngo, a political reporter for Politico, posted a written statement from Adams’ spokesperson on social media that further detailed why “1,900 guests” would be transferred to the school.
“This relocation is a proactive measure being taken out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals working and living at the center,” explained Adams’ spokesperson.
Forecasters predicted that the storm would be a “high-impact event” that could cause flooding in the city along with gusts of wind reaching up to 70 mph, according to The New York Times.
Zach Iscol, commissioner of New York City’s Office of Emergency Management, explained the issue and said his office was “not allowed to put [tent] stakes in the ground.”
“So that changes the wind rating, compared to the other structures,” he said, per CBS News. “… It’s also a more exposed area; that also changes the wind rating.”
Many people voiced their displeasure about this situation, with New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov writing on social media that it is an “Unacceptable situation for all!”
“Madison is a scan school where students get scanned upon entrance, but the migrants got to bypass that as per the NYPD. A lot of law enforcement and other agency resources have been poured into this situation tonight,” she wrote.
Additionally, many parents of children attending the school voiced concerns.
“How does it feel that you kicked all the kids out of school tomorrow? Does it feel good? I hope you feel good. I hope you will sleep very well tonight!” yelled one mother, who identified herself as Michelle, as the buses arrived at the school, per The New York Post.
Another father who identified himself as Rob criticized the decision to shelter the unlawful migrants in the school, describing it as “a litmus test.”
“They are using a storm, a legitimate situation, where they are testing this out. I guarantee you they’ll be here for the entire summer,” he said to The New York Post.
“There’s 1,900 people getting thrown into my neighborhood, half a block from where I live and we don’t know who they are.”
Despite some of the concerns presented by parents that this situation would last longer than expected, the unlawful migrants were transported back to Floyd Bennett Field early Wednesday morning.
The use of the school as a temporary shelter prompted New York City Assemblyman Michael Novakhov to hold an “emergency rally” in protest of the “decision to prioritize migrants over … our communities, budget, safety and even the education of our children,” as he described it, per ABC 7 News York.
Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny expressed concerns during the rally that situations similar to this may become more common moving forward.
“Nobody is in charge, New Yorkers are a very compassionate people but they are losing their patience, they don’t have any patience anymore,” he said, according to ABC 7.
The sheltering of unlawful migrants in James Madison High School comes amid a growing crisis at the southern border due to the influx of people into the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has consistently reported record-high numbers of unlawful migrants crossing the border.
CBP stated in December that there were more than 300,000 encounters, breaking the previous record of 269,735 encounters in September, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
