Here in New York City, officials opened a large tent Wednesday on an island in the middle of the East River to use as an emergency shelter for asylum seekers arriving on buses from the U.S.-Mexico border. The tent will hold about 500 men and can expand to hold 1,000, sleeping head to toe on thin cots. This is New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.

Zach Iscol: “There’s not a lot of places that you can put this type of infrastructure and do this type of work caring for this many people. This is also a temporary facility. People are not going to be living in it. This is a short-term solution for people to figure out what their next destination is going to be.”

Nearly 20,000 migrant asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since April, many from Venezuela. Some have been absorbed by the shelter system, while others end up on the streets. Many have been taken into the homes of volunteers who are also organizing food and clothing drives for the new arrivals. Rights advocates are still calling for better shelters. New York Immigration Coalition executive director Murad Awawdeh said the tent shelter is “a stain on our city’s rich history of welcoming immigrants and morally reprehensible.” He added, “To continue ignoring the calls from advocates and other city officials to utilize alternative and more appropriate housing options, and instead begin implementing this dangerous plan, Mayor Adams has compromised New York City’s status as a beacon of hope.”