In a surprising reversal, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has withdrawn plans to repurpose an abandoned luxury apartment complex into a shelter for undocumented immigrants.
This decision came in response to strong opposition from the Harlem community.
Mayor Adams made an unexpected appearance at a community meeting in Upper Manhattan on Thursday. The local residents had gathered to discuss speculations that the building, located at the intersection of 130th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., was being covertly readied to house immigrants, as reported by CBS News.
Originally marketed as a luxury housing complex complete with a swimming pool, the building has been vacant for approximately ten years after its developers defaulted on loans. Constructed in 2007, the building contains 35 units, according to city records.
The New York Post reports that the property was subsequently leased to a nonprofit organization. This organization had been collaborating with the city's Department of Social Services/Homeless Services to utilize the building as a shelter for either immigrants or the city's indigenous homeless population.
Community members, having observed bunk beds being transported into the building and receiving no answers to their queries, organized a meeting. They expressed their frustration over the lack of transparency and communication.
Tiffany Fulton, executive director of Silent Voices United Inc., a local nonprofit serving underprivileged communities, voiced her opposition, stating, "No, I don't agree with it turning into a sanctuary for asylum seekers knowing we have people right here that need the space."
Central Harlem, where approximately 44% of residents are Black, is predominantly a low-income neighborhood. The 2020 census data reveals a poverty rate of 28.4%, significantly higher than the citywide rate of 18.0%.
A placard at the meeting read, "Millions on migrants, what about youth programs?" Mayor Adams has previously stated that the crisis involving undocumented immigrants could potentially cost the city up to $12 billion by 2025. Since the spring of 2022, at least 170,000 undocumented immigrants have arrived in New York.
During the meeting, Mayor Adams addressed the concerns of the residents. In response to a resident's comment, "You are the mayor. We do not want to hear excuses," Adams assured that the building would not be used to house undocumented immigrants but would instead accommodate local homeless New Yorkers.
"I told the team, 'Find out what's going on here,'" Adams said. "We're not moving folks into a brand new building when you have long-term needs in a community. That's not going to happen. You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property."
The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Regina Smith, a Harlem resident, told CBS that the community felt disrespected and that there are already too many homeless shelters in the area. "We're being priced out of the community," she said. Another resident, Leslie Johnson, suggested that the units should be allocated for affordable housing, stating, "These apartments could be used for us to go into."
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