New York struggles to accommodate influx of asylum seekers

Hundreds of asylum seekers were seen sleeping on the sidewalk outside the Roosevelt Hotel, the city's migrant intake centre, since last week, before the area was cleared on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

New York: Hundreds of asylum seekers are still coming to New York daily though authorities have said the city has reached its limit on migrants.

Hundreds of asylum seekers were seen sleeping on the sidewalk outside the Roosevelt Hotel, the city’s migrant intake centre, since last week, before the area was cleared on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

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An average of about 500 asylum seekers are coming to the city per day, according to a report by documentedny.com on Friday, citing city officials.

“We continue to respond to the asylum seekers… even as our city is stretched to its breaking point,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom at a briefing on Wednesday.

More than 95,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York since last spring and the city has opened 194 sites, including 13 large-scale humanitarian relief centres, said Williams-Isom.