Immigration is an issue that everyone feels deeply, no matter which side of the political spectrum you fall on. The mainstream media reports on the border crisis constantly, and the newest story on overflowing immigration only makes it more clear exactly how dire the situation really is.
New York and Migrants
Illegal immigration into the United States has been getting progressively worse over the last few years. Many have been blaming the Biden administration for the influx of migrants who have made their way into the country of late, though it’s a problem that has spanned for decades.
A recent incident in New York has brought the problem to the forefront again, though. It’s common knowledge that there has been an influx of migrants in my liberal cities and states such as New York and California, but that fact may be coming back to haunt some city mayors.
Floyd Bennett Field Converted to Housing
New York City has been housing nearly 2000 migrants at Floyd Bennett Field recently, for lack of anywhere else to house the “visitors.” This is a problem that has been well documented in the recent weeks and months, and New York is far from the only metropolitan area that has been struggling to find somewhere to house the new arrivals.
Floyd Bennet Field is a historic former airfield, which city officials have designated as temporary housing for immigrants in an effort to relieve the strain that’s been placed on the city’s shelter system. It’s been a perfectly workable solution to a crisis that appears to be without end, until a recent storm threw a wrench in the works.
A Storm Flooded the Shelter
A storm that grew and raged in the city brought heavy rains and winds to the streets, and battered the airfield that had been housing the migrants. Due to its exposed nature, the city was forced to make a quick decision in deciding where to send the immigrants who had been staying there.
The choice was to move the migrants to a local high school, James Madison High School. The school was located about five miles from the airfield in Brooklyn, and allowed the migrants somewhere to reside while the storm passed.
Students From School Were Unable to Attend
As always, there were unforeseen consequences for moving such a massive amount of people into the local high school. Yes, it allowed for the migrants to have somewhere to stay while their existing temporary housing was flooded, but it meant that the students who usually attend the school had nowhere to go.
In light of this fact, the school sent out a memo to parents and students alike that, temporarily, the students would be engaging in remote learning. The message relayed the fact that the school building would be closed for January 10, and that the students would be expected to be online for classes the same as if they were attending in person.
Parents Were Not Thrilled
Understandably, there were parents who were very unhappy with the declaration of remote learning, especially in light of the reason why. Some parents even went so far as to confront the migrants outside of the school.
One mother yelled at the migrants, asking them if they were happy with themselves for kicking the students out of school. She went on to say that she “hoped they were very happy” and slept well, her emotional response clouding her judgment.
Everyone Had Heightened Emotions
Another parent confronted the migrants while they were being moved into the building by city officials. He asked them how they felt about “stealing American tax money,” playing on the fact that illegal immigrants often do not pay taxes to the country unless they have work permits of some kind.
Of course, it must be stated that the migrants themselves were not the ones who chose where they were going to go when the Floyd Bennett Field was flooded out. It was a decision that was made on the part of the city, and unfortunately, it was a choice that ruffled quite a few feathers.
Staff and Advocates Were Both Unhappy
Even staff at the school were not happy with the decision. One gym teacher, in an interview, wondered why James Madison High was the choice for where to put the migrants. He implied that there were closer locations that would have served just as well, though that may or may not have been true.
Advocates for the migrants were unhappy with the move as well. In an interview, one stated that the move from the airfield to a local high school proves that the airfield – which is in a flood zone and miles from any sort of services or schools for children – was never a safe place for these individuals to be housed.
The Immigration System is Broken
Many migrants who come illegally into the country are doing so in pursuit of asylum, a process that allows them to seek citizenship due to highly extenuating circumstances in their home country. There’s been adjustments made to the asylum program over the years, and in recent years, the United States has seen a higher number of individuals seeking asylum than ever before.
Unfortunately, the United States immigration system was not built for the high number of individuals seeking asylum or entry into the country, period. The backlog of individuals waiting on citizenship or green card hearings is months and years long, and it has resulted in situations like the one at James Madison High School, where everyone is unhappy and there isn’t a solution in sight.
There is No Clear Solution
Even more unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that there is a workable solution that can currently make its way through congress. Funding of the border as well as strategies that could be used to manage the migrant crisis are hot button topics on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate alike, and neither side seems willing to compromise with the other regarding the hows and whys.
Until something concrete is done to fix the immigration system at the source, situations like the migrants in New York will continue to happen. It’s a complicated problem without a clear solution, and the country is waiting with heightened emotions and bated breath for the scale to tip one way or the other.
