Judge sides with Staten Island leaders, says asylum seeker shelter at former St. John Villa Academy should close
By MARCIA KRAMER
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NEW YORK, NY (WCBS) — A judge Tuesday sided with Staten Island lawmakers, saying a controversial migrant shelter should close.
The shelter at St. John Villa Academy, located in a mostly residential neighborhood, has been the site of constant protest.
The court battle centered on whether tens of thousands of migrants coming to New York City constitutes an emergency and therefore fives Mayor Eric Adams the right to open shelters wherever he can find space.
A City Hall spokesperson told CBS New York that the law department is considering its options.
CBS New York political reporter Marcia Kramer is looking into this, and she’ll have much more on the city’s option are and what happens to the migrants at that shelter tonight at 5 p.m. on WCBS-TV.
Borough President Vito Fossella previously called the shelter, “the worst possible choice in the worst possible location.”
New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli blamed Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Biden.
“Those three people have stopped working for the residents of the city and have put their priorities in the hands of those who have come across our border in violation of our law,” said Borelli.
Borelli also faulted Adams for ordering city agencies to cut their budgets by 5% now and up to 15% this fiscal year to help pay the tab for some 206 facilities to house asylum seekers in all five boroughs.
“Listen to the mayor’s own words. We are shifting resources away from public services for New Yorkers to serve this population of which I can say my constituents want no part of. They don’t support this idea of sanctuary city,” said Borelli. “So perhaps in this courthouse, we’ll see where the buck stops on the city government and the state government and the federal government. And perhaps this is where that pendulum starts to swing back.”
Meanwhile, Adams defended his need to order budget cuts and said he would welcome legislation in Albany that would allow the state to issue work permits to the asylum seekers.
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