Orchard Beach migrant relief center to be moved to Randall’s Island

The migrant relief center that was being built at Orchard Beach is now going to be moved to Randall’s Island.

News 12 Staff

Oct 4, 2022, 10:36 AM

Updated 737 days ago

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The migrant relief center being built at Orchard Beach is now going to be moved to Randall’s Island.
In the wake of last weekend's storm, Mayor Eric Adams and his team determined that the facility needed to be placed in a different location.
This news follows harsh pushback against the project from residents and elected officials.
Many were concerned about safety and how it could affect access to the park and beach. Others argued that Orchard Beach is too far from public transportation.
Michael Rendino, chairman of the Bronx Republican party, says that while they understand the need to help asylum seekers, it should be done in a way that does not negatively impact residents.
"This is about communication. People in politics sometimes do what they want to do without speaking to the stakeholders involved. For a community in the Northeast Bronx who didn't want it there, it wasn't the right thing for the migrants, or for the people in the Northeast Bronx. And even now, moving into Randall's Island is a good first step, but there's still a lot of work to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Society says that though the move to Randall’s Island addresses some concerns, there are still problems with the new location. For instance, the Randall’s Island facility will now house and process 500 migrants rather than the original 1,000 that were planned for the Orchard Beach site.