New York City begins evicting immigrants who have been in shelters for 30 days

New York City on Wednesday began its latest eviction policy, which removes migrants from shelters who have been in the city's system for 30 days in most cases, or 60 days for young adults between 18-23. 

The policy comes after the New York City Mayor Eric Adams reached a settlement with migrant advocacy groups over the city's "right to shelter" law. The city needed a way to cap the amount of migrants in its care, because it has seen nearly 200,000 migrants flood the city since 2022, according to NBC News. More than 65,000 remain in its care.

City officials are examining the migrants in a case-by-case basis, because some are entitled or eligible for extensions, such as high school students who are moving towards graduation, people recovering from medical procedures, and those with immigration hearings within 30 days, but it is expected to impact roughly 250 migrants between Wednesday and Sunday.

“With more than 65,800 migrants still in our care, and as we continue to manage the arrival of hundreds of new migrants requesting shelter in New York City every day, we have begun implementing the next phase of our settlement,"  Adams’ chief of staff Camille Joseph-Varlack told NBC News. "While these changes will require some adaptation, they will help migrants take the next steps in their journeys, reduce the significant strain on our shelter system, and enable us to continue providing essential services to all New Yorkers."

The new limits do not apply for migrant families with young children, who can reapply for shelter when they are out of the shelter system for 60 days. 

The city said it will also be more persistent in reminding migrants that they are expected to find new homes within the city by giving them their eviction date when they first check into the shelter system. They will also give them another notice after 15 days, and give them guidelines on how to apply for an extension, and offer them exit planning to help make the transition easier.

The new policy comes as the city witnesses soaring crime rates and an overburdened shelter system, which was designed to help the city's homeless population.

Critics have claimed the new policy is inhumane, because it forces people to be on the streets in the middle of summer, according to Fox 5 New York. But Adams said the policy would always be inhumane, because people have complained about the policy being enforced in the wintertime as well. 

"People said it's inhumane to put people out during the wintertime, so now they say it's inhumane to do it in the summertime. It's humane to do it in the springtime. It's humane to do in the fall time," Adams said. "It's always inhumane to have to not be able to house 198,000 people."

The evictions come after New York City saw 1,300 new migrants enter last week alone.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.