Dozens of asylum seekers will now be housed in a Harlem facility that was once used as a jail.

Workers spent Thursday morning moving equipment and other boxes out of the former jail facility to make room for migrants. The Harlem building was once the home of the Lincoln Correctional Facility, which closed around five years ago.  

Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom says the city has established 157 emergency sites for incoming migrants in the past year, along with nine humanitarian relief centers.  

Many of the asylum seekers who arrived at the new temporary housing facility say they came with just the clothes on their backs. For Enrique, who came from Venezuela, he’s just happy to have a place to stay. 

“The welcome was very good,” said Enrique. “If you have a place to stay, it’s good.” 

The city says it is looking at 750 prospective new locations to continue housing the influx of migrants, and officials are also considering using state facilities as temporary shelters.