Furious protesters BLOCK migrant bus entering New York as City to spend $1.3BN on migrant hotel rooms
Protesters clashed with NYPD in Staten Island
Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Protesters in New York have clashed with police in Staten Island, after blocking a bus carrying migrants through the city after making the crossing into America.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the actions of the crowd as ten people were arrested by the New York Police Department.
Speaking to NY1 News, Adams said the protesters who were blocking traffic and banging on the bus of migrants in the Midland Beach section of Staten Island represented an 'ugly display of how we deal with the crisis'.
He added: "They were wrong to act that way, and we’re not going to allow it to happen."
It comes as New York City plans to spend a staggering $1billion on hotel rooms for migrants for the next three years.
The city, which currently houses 60,000 asylum seekers is extending its contract with local hotels that have been acting as emergency shelters.
The contract which covers 100 hotels was supposed to end in December but has been extended to August 2026 at a cost of $1.35billion.
New Yorkers blocked a bus carrying migrants through Staten Island
Eyewitness News ABC7NY
In a viral video posted online, protesters can be seen being ushered away from the bus and told to 'back up' by officers.
Others were pinned to the floor and handcuffed by police, before being taken away from the scene.
Mayor Adams is set to extend his administration's contract with the New York City Hotel Assocation, from this year through to 2026.
The contract will house migrants in hotels across the city, as the latest figures show over 100,000 migrants have entered the state of New York since spring of 2022.
In a recent address to City Hall, Mayor Adams declared the city is at 'breaking point'.
Adams stated: "With more than 57,300 individuals currently in our care on an average night, it amounts to $9.8million a day. Almost $300million a month and nearly $3.6billion a year. This is the floor, not the ceiling."
This comes as several migrants have had to sleep on the floor of an old bar at the Roosevelt Hotel shelter in New York, as the first wave of asylum seekers are being evicted under the city's stay-limit rule.
The eviction notice deadline passed over the weekend for the first of 13,000 single adult migrants, who have been staying in shelter sites for the past 60 days.
Migrants queue outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York in July.
Reuters
A shelter worker told the New York Post: "“It depends on their situation. They could be there for hours, but most times they could be there for days."
Under the rules, single adult migrants who reach their 60 day limit have to reapply for a new shelter bed at the Roosevelt Hotel.
NYPD told CNN 10 people were taken into custody. One person was arrested for assault, and nine others received summonses for disorderly conduct.
Police said the confrontation was under investigation.