James Madison High School, located in Brooklyn, New York, changed student classes to virtual classes in order to shelter almost two thousand immigrants during the winter storms hitting the east coast of the United States.
On Tuesday (9), city authorities evacuated approximately 1,900 immigrants who were housed in a local shelter with facility problems, transferring them to the educational institution's gymnasium and auditorium. Before the change, the almost 4 thousand students had already been dismissed and instructed to continue with the school schedule from their homes.
The episode was criticized by representatives of the Republican Party in the municipality. New York City Council leader Inna Vernikov condemned the move, saying public schools were not meant to become “shelters or emergency housing facilities.”
“This will agitate local residents, disrupt the entire school environment and place a tremendous burden on our families, students, school administrators and staff,” the councilwoman said. In her statement on social media, the republican stated that, as an elected official representing the community, she “demanded an end to the use of public schools as shelters.”
Still in the publication, Vernikov mentioned Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, urging the New York City manager to stop using public schools as emergency shelters and, instead, direct migrants to the official government residence, Gracie Mansion.
Adams was also criticized by NGOs involved in helping the homeless in New York. According to the organizations, the shelter where the immigrants were staying is unsuitable for receiving people. In a joint statement, the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless asked city officials to stop placing families with children in the Floyd Bennett Field facility due to the harsh winter weather.
“This last-minute evacuation further proves that Floyd Bennett Field – a facility located in a flood zone, miles from schools and other services – has never served and will never serve as an appropriate and safe place to house families with children. Needless to say, today will be very traumatic and upsetting for these families. We fear, especially with more inclement weather expected this winter, that this is just a harbinger of more problems to come, and we again urge the city to stop placing families in this facility,” they said.
Repercussions in the debate for the Republican primaries
The pre-candidate for the electoral race in the Republican Party and governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, mentioned the episode during the presidential debate, which took place on Wednesday night (10), in Iowa.
“A school in Brooklyn, New York, made children stay at home… they said they couldn’t have in-person education,” he said during the debate prepared by American broadcaster CNN.
“Why?” asked the pre-candidate before continuing with his statement. “Because the city is requisitioning the school to house illegal aliens. We're talking about an issue that puts Americans last. You are taking these children out of education because you cannot control the border. Biden failed in this endeavor, he did not ensure that the country's laws were faithfully executed,” he stated.
DeSantis also criticized former Republican President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on many immigration promises during his time in office. Florida's governor said Trump was unable to complete construction of the border wall and follow through on his promise to deport large numbers of illegal aliens from the United States. “Although the former president promised record deportations, he left office having presided over fewer deportations than former Democratic President Barack Obama,” the Florida governor said. “We will build a wall and we will make Mexico pay for it,” he concluded.
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