Agency to tackle surge in migrants

NEW YORK — New York City will open a 24-hour center to welcome migrants and create a new agency to coordinate efforts to deal with the arrival of thousands of asylum-seekers, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.

More than 50,000 asylumseekers have arrived in New York City since last spring, and there has been an increase of 8,000 since last month. About 30,000 of the new arrivals are in city shelters.

The city has already tried tents, opened a half-dozen hotels and suggested the idea of cruise ships to house newcomers. It has opened welcome centers, contracted with nonprofits and begged the state and federal government for help. Adams even traveled to Washington and the border to highlight the city’s struggles.

New York City’s plan was announced as President Joe Biden faces a broader immigration crisis, as people fleeing violence and economic problems in their countries have gathered at the southern border. Biden is considering whether to revive a Trumpera policy to detain migrant families who cross the border illegally, before the May 11 expiration of a public health order that allowed for migrants to be quickly expelled from the country.

The newly formed Office of Asylum Seeker Operations will coordinate the city’s efforts to house migrants and provide them with access to legal services in one place, moving migrants away from the current arrival point at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The city’s new blueprint also calls for coordinating with other cities willing to accept asylumseekers and creating a partnership with the State University of New York Sullivan, which agreed to take in 100 asylum-seekers who would live on campus and receive workforce training skills.