Migrant Families Faced with Uncertainty as Floyd Bennett Field Shelter Closes
Migrant parents and children on a recent morning lugged suitcases across the wind-swept tarmac to the Q35 bus stop outside the remote Floyd Bennett Field tent complex, beginning a two-hour trek to the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where families can seek a new shelter placement.
Some of the families who have already moved out have received new rooms at a shelter for families in Clinton Hill or at hotels scattered across the city. And all residents must be out by Jan. 15, when the Floyd Bennett migrant complex is slated to close, five days before President-elect Donald Trump assumes power with a promise of mass deportations. The shelter, located at a former airfield, is the only one on federal land.
"I think everyone is a little more relaxed now that we’re leaving," said Jehinzo Gonzalez, 47, in Spanish. The Venezuelan asylum-seeker was moving out of the shelter on Thursday morning with his wife and three kids and said Trump’s mass deportation agenda hung heavily over its residents. "We were very worried. It’s what you heard in the hallways, in the dining room, in the bathrooms everywhere. Fear about the possible massive deportations," Gonzalez said. "My kids were asking me, ‘Dad what happens if the police come and they take us away? Are they going to separate us? What are we going to do?’"
While some residents said they were relieved and eager for shelter placements closer to city services, the closure itself has come with some turmoil.
"It’s been hectic," said Ariana Hellerman, a volunteer with Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors, a mutual aid group that recently gave away 300 suitcases in a three-day span. The organization has provided medicine, clothing and other essentials to residents of the shelter since it opened last year.
No information was shared with residents in writing, Hellerman said, which several residents confirmed. Instead, families got varying instructions from their individual caseworkers, and rumors spread. A rush of families headed to the Roosevelt Hotel, the city’s main intake for migrant families, to seek another shelter spot. Some of those families were reassigned right away, while others were sent back to Floyd Bennett to wait for later move-out dates, Hellerman said.
"It’s just been a very frantic process," she said. "Even though everyone is guaranteed a spot, there’s still this fear that, ‘If I’m the last one, there’s not going to be anything left.”’
Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors is pushing for the city to provide buses to shuttle residents to the Roosevelt Hotel, which they’ve been told will begin this week. They’re asking the city to allow residents to store their belongings temporarily at the tents while seeking a new placement so they don’t have to drag everything with them to Midtown.
"I’ve seen families on the streets lugging three young children, suitcases, and getting lost," said Leanne Tory-Murroy, another of the group’s volunteers. "I’ve put people personally in taxis myself just when I see them out there not knowing where they are."
The shelter’s closure comes in the weeks ahead of Trump’s January 20 inauguration. The federal government could cancel the city’s lease with just 90 days notice, something local Republicans have been lobbying for.
Meanwhile, advocates raised concerns about the unique vulnerability of residents to immigration raids promised by the incoming president. Amid mounting pressure from advocates and residents themselves, the city announced the facility’s planned closure earlier this month, alongside two dozen other emergency shelters in the five boroughs and upstate.
"I don’t know where we’ll end up," said 45-year-old Maria, a mother of three children, speaking in Spanish outside the shelter Thursday morning. She declined to give her last name, concerned about her pending immigration proceeding. "I give thanks to God, be it as it may. In the winter, in the snow, we always had a roof here. It would have been a lot worse if we’d been in the streets with the kids."
Conclusion:
The closure of the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter has left many families in a state of uncertainty, with some expressing relief and others fear and anxiety about the future. The city’s handling of the situation has been criticized, with residents and advocates calling for better communication and support. As the shelter’s closure approaches, many questions remain about the future of these families and the services they will receive.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Why is the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter closing?
A: The shelter is closing due to a lack of funding and a shift in the city’s priorities.
Q: What will happen to the families currently living in the shelter?
A: All residents must be out by January 15, when the shelter is set to close. Many have received new shelter placements at other facilities or hotels.
Q: What are the concerns about the closure?
A: Residents and advocates are worried about the uncertainty and disruption caused by the closure, as well as the potential impact on families’ immigration status.
Q: What is being done to support the families affected by the closure?
A: The city has announced plans to provide buses to shuttle residents to the Roosevelt Hotel, where they can seek new shelter placements. Advocates are also pushing for temporary storage solutions for residents’ belongings and more support for the families affected by the closure.
