Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC to open new migrant relief center at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jan 21, 2023
Modified Jan 21, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jan 21, 2023
Modified Jan 21, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A new migrant relief center for single adult men will soon open in Red Hook, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Saturday.
The planned relief center at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is expected to house 1,000 single adult men when it opens, along with additional newly arriving men as space permits. It will provide them with housing, medical treatment and other services — including relocation assistance for those with final destinations outside of the five boroughs — until it closes in time for cruise season this spring, according to Adams’ office.
The site will take in single adult men currently staying at the Watson Hotel in Midtown, which will be converted to a center for migrant families with children.
The mayor's office did not specify an official opening date, but an email from City Hall that was shared with Gothamist said the site could open as early as next week.
However, migrant advocates expressed concerns with the site's location, which they said was "in a high-risk flood zone... and will needlessly expose future residents to the elements during some of the coldest months of the year."
"Hotels have always been the better short-term option, in contrast to erecting tents in inaccessible parts of New York City that are prone to flooding," continued the joint statement from the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless.
The new relief site in Brooklyn will be the fifth site of its kind to open in the city since tens of thousands of migrants began arriving from border states like Texas under Republican leadership last spring. The city estimates that 41,000 migrants, many of them also seeking asylum, have arrived since then. On Saturday afternoon, the mayor said the city was “at its breaking point.”
“We continue to surpass both our moral and legal obligations and meet the needs of people arriving in New York, but as the number of asylum-seekers continues to grow, we are in serious need of support from both our state and federal governments,” Adams said in a statement.
The influx of migrants, who are mostly coming from Central and South America, has tested New York’s identity as a haven for those fleeing persecution and hardship in their home countries. Adams has repeatedly pleaded with the Biden administration for assistance, calling it a national crisis that merited a stronger response from Washington.
Arya Sundaram contributed reporting.
Tagged
new york city
Asylum Seekers
brooklyn
Michelle Bocanegra
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
The MTA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating how Yaw Boahene was fatally dragged by a subway train in Brooklyn on Monday.
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 2:06 p.m. ET
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
The victim suffered severe burns on his face and neck.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
The victim suffered severe burns on his face and neck.
By
Ryan Kost
Intoxication not a 'license' to rape: Hochul pushes to tighten law amid Cornell scandal
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Parks police told a yoga teacher to leash her dog. It got ugly.
By
Samantha Max
Early Addition: There's finally stuff inside the Times Square tower where the ball drops
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .