Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino issued a statement Monday, Aug. 29, praising the decision made by Mayor Eric Adams’ office not to house migrants bused in from Texas in a College Point hotel. The mayor’s office reversed course on the matter shortly just a few days after Paladino issued a statement Friday criticizing the housing of migrants in College Point.
Prior to the decision being reversed, Paladino said she intended to meet with the appropriate authorities and stakeholders over the weekend. With the College Point hotel idea now off the table, the city is currently exploring other options in how to deal with the migrants being bused from Texas.
“I am thrilled to see our efforts and concerns in regards to College Point have not fallen on deaf ears and the city is exploring other options for housing migrants,” Paladino said. “I want to sincerely thank the mayor’s office for being so attentive and responsive in this matter, as I made it very clear that the College Point community is severely struggling and simply not equipped to provide the specialized services the migrants require. I have been fighting for the residents of College Point since before taking office, and we have made good progress with much more to do. I will continue to closely monitor the situation and my office will provide further updates as needed. The people of College Point and District 19 as a whole are my top priority, and their interests come first. Promises made, promises kept.”
The mayor’s office dedicated 115 rooms at Hotel de Point to housing these migrants, according to Paladino, who claimed the first decision was made without any consultation with local council members. No information was provided by the mayor’s office on how the migrants would’ve been cared for, how long they would have been housed at the hotel or the source of the funding for their needs, she said.
QNS has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment and is waiting for a response.
Paladino believed the original decision would’ve added to the many basic service needs for College Point and expressed her concern that resources would be diverted from other areas that could otherwise help improve the community.
“How much more can the people of College Point be expected to endure?” Paladino asked Friday. “The city has already burdened this community with homeless shelters and inadequate public transportation and now this. Instead of helping us fix the roads, improve garbage collection or enhance law enforcement, we get another burden.”
Additionally, Paladino called upon federal authorities to close the southern border so that they could try to get control over the influx of migrants and figure out what to do with them. She argued that open-border and sanctuary policies overwhelmingly leads to poor and immigrant communities paying the price.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:25 p.m. on Aug. 29.
