QBP RICHARDS ON PLACEMENT OF HUMANITARIAN CENTER FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS AT CREEDMOOR

(July 26, 2023 at 12:50pm)

QUEENS, NY – Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. stated the following in response to the announcement today, July 26, by the Mayor’s Office of the placement of a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) — housing up to 1,000 single male asylum seekers — on the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Eastern Queens.

“As I have said repeatedly throughout the asylum seeker crisis and again over the last few weeks, Queens will always open its arms to any and all people wishing to seek refuge and build a better life here. It’s who we are as The World’s Borough — the most diverse place on the planet — where half of our 2.4 million neighbors were born abroad,” said Borough President RICHARDS. “But that openness should not be confused with naiveté. That is why Queens needs the Mayor’s Office to immediately establish a Community Advisory Board, made up of local elected officials and neighborhood stakeholders, to address the numerous valid concerns that have already been raised regarding a potential HERRC on the Creedmoor campus. The success of this effort hinges upon an efficient, constant channel of communication between the state, city and borough, as well as a community-informed decision making process around ensuring the needs of our asylum seekers are met and the concerns of area residents are heard.”

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