HELL’S KITCHEN, Manhattan (PIX11) — A tense standoff occurred Sunday outside a Manhattan hotel, where migrants are being moved to a new shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
The run-in at the Watson Hotel on West 57th Street near Tenth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen began when some migrants, disappointed by the conditions they found at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, tried to return to their previous shelter at the hotel, only to be denied entry. Police were called to the hotel, but only for crowd-control purposes, officials said, and no arrests or injuries were reported.
Though tensions had dissipated by Monday morning, about 40 asylum seekers were trying to stay put, sleeping in tents outside the hotel until the city changes course, advocates said.
Mayor Eric Adams recently announced that the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal would be used to house approximately 1,000 single male migrants, while the hotel is converted to space for families with children.
A City Hall spokesperson said that the Adams administration defended the conditions at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, while renewing a call for aid from the state and federal governments.
“More than 42,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since last spring and we continue to surpass our moral obligations as we provide asylum seekers with shelter, food, health care, education, and a host of other services,” said Fabien Levy in a statement. “The facilities at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will provide the same services as every other humanitarian relief center in the city, and the scheduled relocations to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal this weekend took place as planned. We remain in serious need of support from both our state and federal governments.”
