Why is NYC shutting down its Randall's Island migrant shelter after just 1 month?


New York City officials plan to shutter the Randall's Island tent shelter built to mitigate a surprise influx of over 23,000 relocated migrants after recent changes to the Biden administration's immigration policies curtailed the overall number of incoming arrivals, The New York Times reports.
Many of the migrants were Venezuelans that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had bused to New York in protest of President Biden's border policies. In October, New York City Mayor Eric Adams estimated the city would spend up to $1 billion to lessen the strain the unprecedented arrivals had put on its shelter system.
The tent shelter, which was built to house 500 single adult men, officially opened last month. As of last week, however, it remained largely unused, the Times reports. And by the time construction had finished, the number of migrants arriving in the city dropped dramatically compared to the beginning of the crisis, ostensibly because the Biden administration had begun sending new arrivals back to Mexico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Officials said last week that only 170 people were living in the shelter, some of which were West African migrants. Isa Isadoup, one of the tent's recent occupants, praised the shelter's amenities, which include phones for international calls, televisions, and areas to play video games, per the Times. Isadoup said the tent was spacious and clean compared to the overcrowded apartment he left behind.
On Thursday, the city said tent occupants would be provided with "transportation to the Watson Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, whose 600 rooms would now be used to house asylum seekers," the Times summarizes.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A missile garden, a line of lava, and more
-
Sweden's Soft Hooligans: the fans who brought 'good vibes' to the Euros
Under the Radar Formed to create a fun fan atmosphere, the Swedish football supporter group has been bringing the party to the championship
-
Crossword: July 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
'A recipe for higher costs and lower living standards'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams