NYC high school students forced into remote learning as 2,000 migrants sheltered in school instead

Nearly 2,000 migrants being sheltered in a tent shelter in New York City are being transferred to a nearby high school, where the students will have to pivot to remote learning due to the disruption it is causing – sparking outrage from residents and local politicians.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office said it is moving 1,900 migrants from the tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field for safety reasons due to the incoming storms and potential high winds. According to the New York Daily News, Adams told reporters that it was being done out of an "overabundance of caution."

"We want to make sure people are safe," he said.

But it is controversially moving them to James Madison High School, which confirmed it was being used as a "temporary overnight respite center" and would be closed as a result on Wednesday -- with students being forced to "pivot" to remote learning as a result.

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Jan 9, 2024: Other New York City politicians said that it was already known that Floyd Bennett Field was not sustainable for migrants. ((Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images))

In a statement, Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov called the move "unacceptable," arguing that Floyd Bennett Field is "not a sustainable housing facility." 

"Our public schools are meant to be places of learning and growth for our children, and were never intended to be shelters or facilities for emergency housing," she said.

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NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat, said that placing migrants at the Floyd Bennett Field "highlights the mismanagement and waste of money that is all-too-present in City Hall’s approach to shelter and services for asylum seekers."

The New York Post reported how the move has infuriated parents of students at the school, with one woman screaming at buses as they arrived: "How does it feel that you kicked all the kids out of school tomorrow!"

Jan 9, 2024: Nearly 2,000 migrants are evacuated by school buses from tents at Floyd Bennett Field to a local high school in preparation for a storm with estimated wind speeds to be more than 70 mph. ((Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images))

Adam’s office told the outlet that the move is a proactive measure to ensure the safety of individuals both living and working at the migrant facility and will "continue until any weather conditions that may arise have stabilized and the facility is once again for living."

Adams’ office has said that over 160,000 migrants have surged into the "sanctuary" city since the middle of 2022, some of whom have been bused in directly by Texas. Officials have said the city is overwhelmed, with Adams warning the crisis could "destroy" the city.

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He, along with other Democratic city mayors, has called on the federal government to do more by providing more funding, quicker work permit processing and help with resettlement. Meanwhile, his city slashed budgets last year for education, policing and other sectors.

Mayor Eric Adams speaks during in-person media availability at City Hall Tuesday on Jan. 2, 2024, in Manhattan, New York.  (Barry Williams for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

He has also put restrictions in place on when and where migrant buses can drop off their passengers, and has called for other mayors in the region to do the same. Separately, his administration has launched a lawsuit seeking $700 million from the transportation companies involved in dropping off the migrants.

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However, Texas has stood by its busing strategy, saying it is needed to relieve overwhelmed border towns, which are seeing more migrants than cities like New York City.

"Until [President] Biden reverses course on his open border policies, Texas will continue transporting migrants to these cities," he said. "We will not back down on our efforts to secure the border."

Meanwhile. Fox News reported this week that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Border Patrol agents this week that "above 85%" of migrants currently being encountered are being released into the U.S. interior.

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