NY imposes curfew on more migrant shelters after latest violent incidents

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NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is expanding its curfew to other migrant shelters after violent incidents attributed to residents of these centers gained attention in the United States in recent weeks.

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration will impose an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew at 20 migrant shelters starting Monday, after initially imposing the restrictions at four other locations, spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak said.

The curfew will affect about 3,600 migrants; The largest of the emergency shelters houses about 1,000 migrants in Long Island City, in the borough of Queens.

City officials initially imposed a curfew at four shelters last month in response to neighborhood complaints.

Mamelak said the curfews are in line with the restrictions already implemented in traditional homeless shelters in NY and allow for “more efficient capacity management” of migrants who are under the care of municipal authorities.

“New York City continues to lead the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, and that includes prioritizing the health and safety of asylum seekers in our care and New Yorkers living in communities surrounding the emergency shelters we manage,” he stated in an emailed statement.

The additional curfews were implemented after a wave of violence and crime linked to migrants has drawn an increasingly strong reaction from city and police officials.

A 15-year-old Venezuelan teenager was arrested on Friday for opening fire in Times Square while fleeing from police after being intercepted by security officers due to an alleged robbery at a store. A Brazilian tourist was injured in the shooting.

A video showing a group of migrants fighting with police in Times Square last month also went viral and led to several arrests.

The total of 24 migrant shelters now subject to restrictions represent a fraction of the more than 200 such centers that the city manages to house some 66,000 newly arrived asylum seekers.