Parents outraged after NYC bars students from school to shelter nearly 2K migrants
Parents and local politicians expressed frustration after a New York City high school barred students from the school and ordered them to do remote learning so the building could serve as a temporary shelter for around 2,000 immigrants who crossed the U.S. southern border in recent months.
City officials moved thousands of migrants sheltering at Floyd Bennett Field in South Brooklyn to James Madison High School on Tuesday. They are being housed in the school's gym and auditorium.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited the school on Tuesday and tweeted the following day that "teams are doing a great job keeping asylum seekers safe and dry before they depart tomorrow morning."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In response to the outrage over students being a lower priority than people who entered the U.S. illegally, officials decided to bus the migrants back to the field at 4:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to CBS New York, parents and community leaders protested outside the high school and condemned the decision to bar students from the school and move them to remote learning, with some parents calling it "inexcusable" after what students went through during COVID-19.
Amid the backlash, the school received a bomb threat and a number of hateful phone calls, which authorities are investigating as possible criminal offenses.
"They have to come up with another solution. They cannot do this to school kids," one resident said about the situation, as quoted by CBS2.
James Madison High School did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
In a statement published by The New York Post, one mother of a student at James Madison said it was "disgusting" and that it "should not be put on us taxpayers."
"I do believe they are putting the life of people who are here illegally and not documented over my life," the mother's daughter said, as quoted by The Post.
"I am a 15-year-old girl at the school who wants to get her education and better her life, and she can't come to school today because the day was interrupted by people who aren't supposed to be here."
City officials said they would not use James Madison as a migrant shelter again, according to CBS2.
New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said officials acted "out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals working and living at the center."
Republican New York State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny protested alongside parents on Wednesday, tweeting, "Our students will be our First Priority!"
"Today I stood alongside my colleagues in the Assembly, and concerned parents for a Rally outside of James Madison High School," he wrote.
"I have been very outspoken about placements of temporary migrant shelters in our communities and within our public schools. We are a compassionate and supportive city, but not one New Yorker believes this is a solution."
New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov told NewsNation that the James Madison High School situation was "a perfect example of what not to do."
The sheltering of migrants at Floyd Bennett Field has raised concerns, according to NewsNation, due to the area's susceptibility to flooding and fear that shelter tents cannot withstand heavy winds and rain.
"Obviously, parents and residents are concerned about what's going to happen next, if there's another flood — we're in the winter season, so anything could happen anytime," Vernikov said.
"How many more times are they going to evacuate? And where are they going to go? Are they going to keep using schools for this? These are all questions, legitimate questions that parents and residents have."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
