Plan to house migrants in NYC school gyms sparks boycott by parents

Eric Adams, Mayor of New York, said of the plan, «None of us want to take such drastic steps.» : Hans Pennink/AP

Parents refuse to send their children to school to protest plans to house migrants in 20 school gyms across New York City.

Several sites have been set aside for asylum seekers as officials struggle to find housing for the influx of migrants following the repeal of Section 42, Donald Trump's Covid-era immigration policy.

Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, said gyms , which are located separate from the school building but on school grounds, and said it was one of the last places we want to look at, adding, «None of us wants to take such drastic steps.»

This comes amid a deteriorating relationship between Mr. Adams and Joe Biden, with the mayor criticizing the president for his handling of immigration and crime.

Mr. Adams accused the White House of insufficient funding to deal with migration.

Last month, he said: «The President and the White House have failed this city.»

Protest at the school gates

The mayor was supposed to play a key role in Biden's re-election in 2024, but he was removed from the campaign advisory board.

Concerned parents protested at the gates of schools in Coney Island and Brooklyn, some camped overnight due to fears that the refugees would arrive early in the morning.

Gabriella Vizhnay is one of dozens of parents who waited Tuesday morning outside PS 172 in Sunset Park, where rows of camping beds have been set up in the gym so it can be used as a temporary shelter.

50-year-old Ms Vizhnay, whose nine-year-old son Jacob is at the school, said she had been protesting outside the school since Monday afternoon on Tuesday afternoon, returning home only to take a 20-minute nap. She and dozens of other parents did not plan to send their children to school on Wednesday.

Ms Vizhnay told The Telegraph: «We can't sleep.»

She said 210 parents had mobilized. , having created a What's App group and had over 1,000 signatures criticizing the «completely inappropriate» posting.

Ms Vizhnay, who emigrated to the US from Mexico 20 years ago, said she was not «anti-immigrant < /p>

“It's not that we don't want them [migrants], we welcome them. School is just not the right place for them.

«Why are they doing this? It doesn't make sense.»

Ann Naupari, a member of the Parent-Teacher Association, whose seven-year-old son Mark is also a student at PS 172, said she would not attend classes until the situation was resolved.

She said the «nightmare would end» only when when officials remove dozens of roll-out beds from the gym.

“This is a school, not a hotel'

“I am very disappointed with the way this has been approached. Enough.”

Mother Frances Henriquez, whose seven-year-old daughter Bella is also a student, added: “This is a school, not a hotel.”

Some 75 adult migrants were taken to the Sandra Feldman Gymnasium, a separate building on the grounds of PS 188 on Sunday, where they were reportedly held for several hours.

Antoine, a 21-year-old migrant from Venezuela, told The New York Post on Sunday that officials told him and others that they would only stay until Monday.

“They put us here because they don’t want us on the streets,” he explained. “They arrange us, give us paperwork, and then we leave.”

Antoine arrived in town last week after eight months in Texas. He said all migrants had undergone psychological assessments to determine if they were dangerous.

About 41,000 migrants were at 150 emergency sites across New York City as of the end of last week, according to figures released by the city. . Hall.

Last week, New York City temporarily suspended some rules related to its long-standing guarantee of asylum to all who need it to deal with an influx of migrants. The pending requirements included rules requiring families to be housed in private rooms with bathrooms and kitchens, rather than in group accommodations.

After Section 42 expired on May 11, there was an influx of migrants, predominantly from Central and South America . , arriving at the US-Mexico border.

The controversial policy has given authorities the ability to quickly deport migrants, preventing them from applying for asylum.