Mayor Adams close to deal for Norwegian Cruise ship to house migrants in NYC waters
Mayor Adams close to deal for Norwegian Cruise ship to house migrants in NYC waters
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September 30, 2022 11:30am
Migrants arriving at Port Authority 9/30/2022ShareClose
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Mayor Eric Adams is finalizing a deal with the Norwegian Cruise Line to house migrants on one of its massive cruise ships and dock it at Staten Island’s Homeport, The Post has learned.
Adams wants to lease the luxury liner for at least six months and use it to house and process migrants before they enter the city’s shelter system, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.
The migrants would be allowed to come and go while staying on the ship, the source said.
Preliminary estimates show the plan will be “cheaper” than erecting another tent city similar to the one the city plans to open in the Bronx at the Orchard Beach parking lot, the source said.
The tent city, now under construction, is expected to cost $15 million a month to operate, The Post exclusively reported last week.
In addition to the Norwegian Cruise Line deal, the source said City Hall was negotiating the possible use of another ship owned by the Estonian company Tallink, which was hired by the Estonian government to house Ukrainian refugees who fled their country following Russia’s invasion.
About 15,500 migrants have flooded into the Big Apple since May amid a surge tied to President Biden’s southern border crisis, according to the latest City Hall estimate.
Adams — who’s said the influx is straining the shelter system to near its “breaking point” — predicted last week that the number could soon swell to 75,000.
Meanwhile, the mayor has been pleading with the White House for at least $500 million in emergency funding to pay for just one year of migrant services.
It’s unclear whether Adams has already struck a deal to use the Homeport, a former naval station on the northeastern shore of Staten Island between the St. George Ferry Terminal and the Verrazano Narrows BridgeBut City Hall has discussed Hizzoner’s plan with Staten Island officials, the source said.PREVIOUS
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During an unrelated news conference outside City Hall, Adams didn’t deny his plan was nearing fruition.
“When we get an announcement of any type of deal, we will make it public with a level of transparency,” he said after being asked about The Post’s report.
“And so any premature announcement of a deal that was reached, they know more than I do.”
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella told The Post that City Hall alerted him to the plan recently and that he’d asked the Independent Budget Office for a cost estimate of the impact of the migrant crisis on the city.
“This thing is still very preliminary which is good because how is this becoming a Staten Island problem? This is a federal problem,” he said.
“Also, this pier is problematic. There’s no electricity there. Whatever they’re doing here it’s unsustainable.”
Fossella added: “I am not for this cruise. Let’s avoid cruising for a bruising. What’s next? RVs on the street? These problems should not become Staten Island’s problem.”US Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) also fumed: “This is a ludicrous idea that could only come out of an incompetent administration.”
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“Both Biden and Adams refuse to address the root of the problem and, instead, continue to incentivize illegal immigration,” she said.
“Secure our borders, reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’ and add judges to hear legitimate asylum cases quickly. Democrats have abdicated their responsibility but when Republicans take the House we will put an end to this nonsense.”
City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-SI) all but endorsed the idea as the best way to deal with a bad situation created by the federal government.
“I knew this was a possibility but u
