A new bill being pushed by far-left City Council members that attempts to wipe out Mayor Eric Adams’ recent imposition of 30-day-stay limits at city-run shelters is finding fierce opposition from conservatives and some moderate Democrats.
“Are we passing laws for New York or Narnia, because the idea that we can shelter all migrants indefinitely is more fit for a fantasy land full of pixie dust than a city short of dollars,” fumed Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island).
“Will we have enough unicorn poop to pay for it, or should I rub my magic lamp?”
Borelli and other critics were responding to legislation introduced Thursday by Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, a progressive Democrat, which would prohibit all city agencies “from imposing length of shelter stay restrictions in any shelter of any type.”
In July, Adams imposed a 60-day limit on stays at city-run shelters for single adult migrants and bluntly warned the city has run out of space and no longer has the capacity or resources to shelter tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border and coming to New York.
About 122,700 asylum seekers seeking shelter have arrived in NYC since spring 2022. Leonardo MunozLast month, he lowered the stays to 30 days.
Hanif has said the legislation is necessary to keep migrants from being put out onto the streets and called Adams’ policy “shameful.”
Other progressive council members who’ve already agreed to back the bill include Brooklyn’s Lincoln Restler and Sandy Nurse and fellow far lefty Pierina Ana Sanchez of the Bronx.
However, Queens Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Dem, said stripping Adams “of the tools to address a shelter system in crisis is not sound governance.”
Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler is among the progressive Democrats supporting Hanif’s legislation. William Farrington
Mayor Adams last month imposed a 30-day limit on stays at city-run shelters for single adult migrants because he feels NYC is running out of space to deal with a mass influx of migrants. AP“The right to shelter wasn’t designed for the entire world,” he said. “Elected officials must grasp this reality instead of clinging to pie-in-the-sky, detached idealism.”
Charles Lutvak, an Adams spokesman, said the bill is “disconnected from the reality our city is dealing with every single day” considering it has already served more than 122,700 asylum seekers seeking shelter since spring 2022.
“New York City is far past its breaking point,” he said. “Simply put, the status quo cannot continue, especially without more help and resources from our state and federal partners.”
