Council Member Robert Holden announced on Thursday, April 3, that the Mayor’s Office has confirmed the closure of two controversial migrant shelters in his district.
The emergency shelters, located at the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood and the Rabbinical Seminary in Maspeth, will cease operations in June 2025.
“These locations should have never opened in the first place,” Holden stated. “The fact that the City spent nearly $6.5 billion housing people who have no right to be here is absolutely ridiculous. The grift will finally be over.”
The shelters, part of the City’s response to the surge of asylum seekers, have been the subject of significant community concern and protests. Both locations faced intense scrutiny from local residents who argued that the facilities lacked transparency and proper community consultation when they were established.
Holden has been a vocal critic of the Adams Administration’s handling of the migrant crisis, repeatedly calling for more responsible fiscal management and greater accountability from the City.
Holden’s statement emphasized his concerns about the costs involved in the shelter operations, which have seen billions of taxpayer dollars allocated to housing individuals who are not authorized to be in the country.
While the facilities at the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church and the Rabbinical Seminary were originally designated as temporary shelters, they quickly became focal points for community opposition. In his remarks, Holden underscored that the extended duration of these shelters has been a strain on both local resources and residents’ trust in the City’s migrant policies.
“I want to thank my staff — especially Phil Wong, Alicia Vaichunas, Charlie Vavruska, and Daniel Kurzyna — for staying on top of this issue from day one,” Holden added. “Their relentless work ensured that these temporary shelters were not made permanent and that taxpayer dollars are no longer being wasted.”
Holden also acknowledged the tireless efforts of the many neighbors who organized protests against the shelters, particularly in Maspeth, where residents demonstrated outside the shelter nearly every week for close to a year.
Many of these residents had expressed concerns over safety, overcrowding, and the lack of communication from City officials about the shelters’ operations.
The closure of the Ridgewood and Maspeth shelters marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over how New York City should address the “migrant crisis.” While local leaders like Holden celebrate this development, the broader issue of how to house and care for migrants remains unresolved. There is currently no word on where the migrants will be moved to.
With the official closure date set for June, residents are hopeful that the City will take a more inclusive and transparent approach when considering future shelter sites. Community members have long argued that their input should be a critical factor in such decisions.
Holden has pledged to continue advocating for fiscal responsibility and greater collaboration with local neighborhoods.
As the deadline for the shelter closures approaches, both the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church and the Rabbinical Seminary will cease to serve as emergency shelters for migrants, though future plans for these sites remain uncertain.
