NEW YORK, NY – The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) issued the following statement regarding the City’s announcement on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, that it will close the Randall’s Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center by February 2025:
“Putting our new neighbors in tents at Randall’s Island was never a humane or effective way to welcome them or provide them with adequate services, so we are glad to see this facility on track to close. Considering thousands of people still need support, we continue to call for the Administration to stop evicting recently arrived immigrants from shelter after 30 and 60 days, as the support they need becomes exponentially less accessible in the face of such instability. Further, we hope to see the City instead focus meaningful investments on efforts like increasing capacity for expert immigration legal service providers so our new neighbors have a real opportunity to establish their lives here and become part of our communities.”
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