New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced he is considering putting up large tents as temporary shelter for the influx of relocated migrants the city is struggling to accommodate, The Associated Press reports.
The proposed tent city is one of many options city officials are considering to house the estimated 13,000 migrants that have arrived from Texas and Arizona. Cruise ships and summer camps are also on the table.
"This is not an everyday homelessness crisis, but a humanitarian crisis that requires a different approach," Adams said in a statement Thursday.
Despite its extensive system of homeless shelters, New York City is struggling to find accommodations for the newcomers. At the helm of the unexpected influx are a number of GOP governors, who have shuttled thousand of migrants to liberal areas like Martha's Vineyard, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. in protest of President Biden's immigration policies.
Adams said the city is considering opening 38 more emergency shelters in addition to the 23 opened since relocated migrants began arriving in May. NYC officials also recently opened a multimillion-dollar intake shelter to streamline the process of helping newcomers get settled.
The first proposed location for the tents is a parking lot in the Bronx's Orchard Beach, per the New York Post. Officials say the tent will house up to 1,000 adults for one to four days for health assessments before placing them into the city's shelter system.