Migrants who have arrived in New York City are protesting the decision to relocate them from a luxurious midtown hotel to a ferry terminal in Brooklyn by camping outside their opulent accommodations.
This week, activist Sergio Tupac Uzurin told a group of reporters and inhabitants of the area around West 57th Street that the ‘cold’ shelter was ‘not intended to be inhabited’ and that the mattresses were composed of ‘hard materials.’
Uzurin also proposed that Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul of New York should allow recently arriving migrants access to the luxurious condominiums in the neighborhood surrounding The Watson Hotel known as “billionaire’s row.”
Since last spring, more than 43,000 asylum seekers have flooded New York City, prompting the city to set up emergency shelters in hotels while building mass housing for the migrants.
The Watson Hotel rooms typically cost around $450 per night, and the cruise terminal is approximately 45 minutes away.
Sergio Tupac Uzurin explained to a group of reporters and locals around West 57th Street that the ‘cold’ shelter was ‘not meant to be occupied’ and that the mattresses are constructed of ‘hard materials’
Tuesday at the Watson Hotel, a lone protester holding a sign reading “NYC can do better” was observed.
In an interview with ABC New York, Uzurin stated, ‘The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is a big edifice that is not intended to be inhabited. It consists of a thousand beds built of sturdy materials.
There is no area for personal items. You must store your personal stuff in a locker if you have any. This is beyond your control. There are just four bathrooms available for a thousand working men, which is untenable.
It is located in a remote area of the city, far from where many of them work, and it is freezing. On Monday, while touring the facilities, Mayor Adams observed a man wearing shorts.
The activist from Queens stated, ‘The immediate remedy is for the Hotel Watson to accept these individuals back and return them to their rooms.
The long-term solution is to reallocate resources from overfunded departments such as the NYPD to housing vouchers and other programs that place individuals in permanent, stable housing.
Since last spring, more than 43,000 asylum seekers have poured into New York City, prompting the city to set up emergency shelters in hotels while building mass housing for the migrants.
The Watson Hotel’s standard nightly rate is approximately $450, and the cruise terminal is approximately 45 minutes away.
Sergio Uzurin of Queens urged the mayor to provide upscale housing for refugees.
While some migrants have been relocated from hotels, many at The Watson have declined the city’s offer to send them to the Red Hook housing complex in Brooklyn, generating problems for long-term residents in Hell’s Kitchen.
According to the city’s office of immigrant affairs, the shelter is climate-controlled, has free food, security, and more than 100 restrooms, and inhabitants receive coupons for public transportation to get them where they need to go.
While some migrants have been relocated outside of the hotels, many at The Watson have declined the city’s offer to transfer them to the Red Hook housing complex in Brooklyn, generating issues for long-term Hell’s Kitchen residents.
Most of the refugees declined the opportunity to tour the facility before relocating their possessions there.
One who did witness the shelter, identified by NewsNation only as Labrador, told the channel, ‘The circumstances are so poor that we have to cross the street to take a shower.’
We need to return to our mattresses, which are stacked like cells.’
Some migrants have stated that they had boarded buses to Brooklyn facilities, but have imminent plans to return to The Watson.
Food and coffee are offered to the migrants in front of the motel.
The city has declared a state of emergency due to the daily influx of migrants.
CBS New York reported that the city expects to begin transferring migrant families into the Watson as early as next week.
This Thursday, New York City Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro stated, “The truth is that we are at hotel capacity.” We require space for families and children. And it was always intended for this to be temporary.
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that a Holiday Inn hotel in Manhattan’s Financial District received court authority to house migrants for $190 per room per night.
In November of this year, the hotel filed for bankruptcy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The new arrangement will generate more than $93,000 per day and over $3 million per month for the hotel.
Allan Robert, who lives with his wife in an apartment adjacent to the Watson, criticized the city for relocating the migrants to the hotel in the first place and stated that the overcrowded streets had become a safety hazard for locals.
Robert stated, “No information was provided to the neighborhood prior to this event.” They were simply dumped here.
“I don’t mind assisting migrants, but I do mind assisting undocumented migrants, for whom we are paying per night, per room. In actuality, how much is it?
A sign posted by the hotel reads, “No to discrimination against immigrants.”
Earlier reports stated that migrants received free meals and other amenities at the city’s emergency hotel shelters; hence, migrants are choosing to stay at The Watson.
A wave of migrants setting up camp in front of the Watson Hotel is depicted.
Adams has been aggressive in his request for federal assistance, which included a demonstration outside City Hall on Sunday.
Washington has approved $800 million in relief funding for the disaster, but the funds will be distributed across the nation.
Another homeowner stated, “They are transporting migrants to Brooklyn in order to introduce an entirely new population here.” Our tax dollars are being used to fund this.
They are making a mockery of everything we labored for decades to improve. It is ludicrous. It is a marionette show.
On Tuesday, paramedics assisted a migrant who required assistance. Some people feared about the safety of the migrants who camped in the streets over the winter.
Despite the fact that police stepped in on Monday to remove tents, many still remain in sleeping bags.
Residents are angered by the sight of migrants smoking cigarettes and marijuana on the street in front of The Watson Hotel, they say.
The city is pressuring the migrants to board buses heading for Brooklyn (above), but the refugees and their activists claim the facility is inadequate to house them.
Locals were outraged by the sight and criticized the city and federal authorities for failing to reduce the number of asylum applicants entering New York City.
After refusing to go to a New York City shelter in Brooklyn, migrants have been camped outside the Watson Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen.
Earlier, in what appeared to be a planned statement, Uzurin told the assembled journalists, ‘We need to make one thing clear: Eric Adams has only one strategy so far. Eric Adams’s proposal is to rob public agencies and transfer the money to the NYPD and the gentrifying city’s developers.
Together with Governor Hochul, he could have simply opened all of the unoccupied luxury flats. Currently, we are situated on 57th Street. This is the row of billionaires.
‘Half of the supertall buildings on this street are vacant! These are apartments valued at $40 million!’
Oscar Veliz, a migrant, told ABC 7 that the 1,000-bed facility is poorly furnished and that food is not always accessible.
Oscar Veliz, a migrant, stated, “We do not want to go to Brooklyn Terminal because I was there yesterday and there was no heat; it’s cold.”
One of the migrants who was transported to the Red Hook prison told DailyMail.com that those being deported from The Watson Hotel intend to return.
This Thursday, Fabien Levy, a spokesman for City Hall, issued the following statement: ‘The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will provide the same services as every other humanitarian relief facility in the city.’
Since the autumn, when Republican governors, particularly Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, began transporting asylum seekers from the border to predominantly Democratic-leaning cities, buses of migrants have been arriving in New York City.
»NYC migrants request access to “vacant luxury apartments” or luxury hotels«