By Anthony Izaguirre - The Associated Press
New York City officials are seeking to ease pressure on overcrowded homeless shelters by housing immigrants in a federal prison that once housed mobsters, terrorists and Wall Street con artists until it was shut down following Jeffrey Epstein's suicide.
The proposal, included in an Aug. 9 letter to the state government, comes as New York struggles to cope with the roughly 100,000 immigrants who have arrived in the city since last year after entering the United States from Mexico.
The city has a legal obligation to find shelter for everyone who needs it. Because homeless shelters are full, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has turned to hotels, placed cots in recreation centers and school gymnasiums and created a temporary shelter with tents.
The letter, written by a senior attorney at the city's legal department, mentions several other sites where migrants could be received, such as the former Metropolitan Correctional Center, which closed in 2021.
[The latest images of Maria Gonzalez, the 11-year-old Latina girl raped and strangled in Texas]
2019 image from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York. Richard Drew / AP
That closure came after the detention center, which has housed notorious criminals such as mobster John Gotti, close associates of Osama bin Laden and Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, was left in the eye of the hurricane due to the conditions of misery and security failures discovered after the death of Epstein.
Rising tensions in New York
Lawyers had long complained that the prison was dirty, infested with insects and rodents, and plagued by leaks of drinking water and sewage to such an extent that they had caused structural problems.
The letter does not clarify whether the city had already contacted the Federal Bureau of Prisons about the possibility of accessing the prison as a residential shelter for immigrants. As asylum seekers, migrants are not imprisoned and most of them are in the country legally while their asylum claims are processed, which largely allows them to travel freely.
[Nurse whose case rocked UK found guilty of killing seven babies: 'I don't deserve to live']
In a statement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said that "while we refuse to comment on government correspondence, we can say this: The New York MTC is closed, at least temporarily, and long-term plans for the New York MTC have not been finalized."
At least one immigrant rights group criticized the idea of housing them in prison.
New Factor in New York's Urban Scene: Migrants Desperate for Income from Street Vendors
Aug. 16, 202302:04
"Mayor Adams likes to say that all options are on the table when it comes to housing asylum seekers, but some places should definitely be out of the question," said Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Coalition for Immigration.
"The Metropolitan Correctional Center was a prison notorious for its poor condition and is not a suitable place to support people who are trying to build a new life in a new country," he said.
The arrival of immigrants in the city has created some tensions between New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Adams. Lawyers for the two Democrats have argued in court over how best to deal with a problem that has financial, political and humanitarian implications.
[Bodies of Two Mexican Migrants Found Trying to Cross Through Desert Area of Coahuila]
In a letter released this week, an attorney representing Hochul sought to dismiss allegations that the state had not responded to the arrival of immigrants satisfactorily, detailing the steps the governor has taken while accusing the city of not accepting state offers of help.
"The city has failed to make timely requests for regulatory changes, has not always promptly shared necessary information with the state, has not put programs in place in a timely manner, and has not consulted the state before taking certain actions," the letter states.
No solutions in sight
Hoc also noted that the state has set aside $1.500 billion for the city to help immigrants and has given the city $250 million for that purpose, but said the city has only filed reimbursement documents for just $138 million.
Authorities report an increase in irregular border crossings between Mexico and the U.S.
Aug. 16, 202301:59
Avi Small, a spokesman for Hochul, said in a statement Thursday that "Governor Hochul thanks Mayor Adams and his team for their work to address the current humanitarian crisis. Governor Hochul has deployed unprecedented resources to support the city's efforts and will continue to work closely with them to provide aid and support."
The city, in its own filing, has hinted that Hochul use executive orders or litigation to secure housing for migrants in upstate New York or consider trying to get neighboring states to accept migrants.
[A 103-year-old woman waits at the border to receive asylum in the U.S.]
City attorneys also called for the use of state property such as the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center or the dormitories of the State University of New York to house the new arrivals, in addition to asking the federal government to allow them to use federal sites, such as the Metropolitan Correctional Center and Fort Dix.
Adams' office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.