New York City moved classes at one school online on Wednesday to accommodate nearly 2,000 immigrants who had been sheltered in tents at Floyd Bennett Field.
The immigrants were moved due to inclement weather conditions in the city on Tuesday into Wednesday, including high winds, which officials were worried could damage the tents immigrants had been residing in. A letter sent to parents of students at James Madison High School in Brooklyn informed families that the school would be activated as a “temporary overnight respite shelter due to dangerous wind conditions” beginning at 6 p.m. EST Tuesday night.
“To ensure a smooth transition for families temporarily sheltering overnight in the building, our school building will be closed on Wednesday, January 10 and school will be in session remotely for all students. Students should plan to log on and participate in their classes from home,” an alert on the school’s website said.
The school also said sports practices would be canceled, but boys basketball, swimming, and table tennis games would still happen.
Residents near the school were not happy with the temporary relocation, with one man telling the New York Post that the city is “testing” whether it could put immigrants at the school for longer periods of time.
“This is f***ed up,” the resident told the outlet. “It’s a litmus test. They are using a storm, a legitimate situation, where they are testing this out. I guarantee you they’ll be here for the entire summer.”
He also expressed concern over the people being transported not being vetted and was worried about safety in the neighborhood.
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Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited the immigrants at the high school on Tuesday night and applauded city workers for “doing a great job keeping asylum seekers safe and dry before they depart tomorrow morning” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
On the ground at James Madison High School. Our @nycemergencymgt, @nychealthsystem, and @nycschools teams are doing a great job keeping asylum seekers safe and dry before they depart tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/VKMWrnJvLR
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 10, 2024
The New York City Emergency Management system confirmed in a social media post that severe winds had decreased by 1:10 a.m. EST and that as of 4:27 a.m. EST, immigrants were “safely returned to Floyd Bennett Field.”
