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A new migrant shelter for 2,200 men has opened in New York City, and residents of the Bronx quickly expressed their outrage at the controversial new housing.
Located in the South Bronx near the East River, the new shelter’s opening comes after the city announced the closure of the massive Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter and the tent shelter at Randall’s Island.
However, city officials have now told the New York Post that migrants previously staying at the Randall’s Island shelter will be transported to the new Bronx center.
A community board meeting on the new shelter descended into chaos when residents were notified of the opening without their approval.
Deputy Mayor of Administration Camille Joseph Varlack informed residents at the meeting of the shelter, which received an audible groan from locals.
One resident yelled at the city officials for housing migrants in hotels when New Yorkers were still struggling in homeless shelters. She then passionately implored them to think of the women and children in the area.
‘I have young women who come to me to study. I have never been afraid in the South Bronx, I am now terrified,’ Judy Kudlow, an art teacher in the area told Fox News.
‘I’m terrified for me, for my students. I will have to move… You have made a terrible mistake,’ she addressed the city officials.
The new men’s migrant shelter opened up in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx
Enraged locals expressed their frustration when city officials blindsided them with a massive migrant shelter
The shelter is seven floors and is big enough to provide beds for over 2,000 men
Audrey Dejesus, another Bronx resident who attended the meeting, told local Fox affiliate, WNYW-TV, that the community was becoming a ‘dumping ground.’
‘I understand people need a place to be, and it’s getting cold and everything in the future, but we feel like it’s a dumping ground,’ Dejesus said.
‘We getting the jail right across the street, and now we’re going to get a 2,200-bed for homeless men. No. Think about women and families first.’
Even Varlack conceded that communication ‘could have been better’ between city officials and Bronx residents.
Democrat Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said she was blindsided by the city’s plans, releasing a statement in opposition to the new shelter.
‘The Bronx continues to shoulder an inequitable share of the city’s challenges, with little regard for the needs of our residents, families, businesses, and organizations,’ she said.
‘The Bronx has always been a welcoming community, but we cannot continue to accept policies that undermine our residents’ well-being without a comprehensive plan, genuine community engagement, and necessary resources for our South Bronx families,’ Gibson added.
The shelter is 275,000 square feet and was previously used as a storage facility before it was converted to house migrants.
Audrey Dejesus, a Bronx local in attendance at the community board meeting expressed frustration with the new shelter
Deputy Mayor of Administration Camille Joseph Varlack attended the community board meeting to inform locals of plans for the new migrant shelter
New York City has repeatedly erected response and relief shelters to provide housing and services to the influx of undocumented migrants.
The Roosevelt Hotel was previously used as a hub for asylum seekers, serving an average of 4,000 arrivals each week, according to the mayor’s office.
Over 230,000 migrants stayed at the hotel between its opening in May 2023 and February 2025.
Of these migrants, over 173,000 asylum registrations were completed, the mayor’s office announced in a press release.
Mayor Eric Adams said the operations at the hotel would be shutting down on Monday. Migrants at the center are now being integrated into other shelters.
‘And while we’re not done caring for those who came into our care, today marks another milestone in demonstrating the immense progress we have achieved in turning the corner on the unprecedented international humanitarian effort,’ Adams said in a statement.
The Midtown hotel opened as a shelter after the city signed a three-year contract with the owners, Pakistan International Airlines.
The Roosevelt Hotel’s closure is the latest in a string of efforts from the city to shut down migrant centers, including the tent shelter at Randall’s Island.
The tent shelter previously came under scrutiny by activists for inhumane conditions and flooding
Locals expressed their concerns with the massive shelter opening in their community of the South Bronx
Community members passionately spoke to city officials about their opposition to the new shelter
The tent shelter previously came under scrutiny by activists for inhumane conditions and flooding.
In October, the mayor’s office announced that the relief center would close on February 28, coinciding closely with the new shelter in the Bronx.
‘We’re not scrambling every day to open new shelters — we’re talking about closing them. We’re not talking about how much we’re spending — we’re talking about how much we’ve saved,’ Adams said at the time.
‘And thanks to today’s announcement, in a few months, we’ll be talking about how much we’re investing in restoring Randall’s Island’s incredible fields and parks for community use.’
The DailyMail.com reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on the new migrant shelter but didn’t immediately hear back.