Mayor Eric Adams Considering Using Cruise Ships to House Migrants

As a result of the migrant crisis in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is considering using cruise ships as temporary housing.

“We examined everything from the legality of using any type of cruise ship for temporary housing,” Adams said on Sunday. “We’re looking at everything to see; how do we deal with this?”

The suggestion was proposed after recent reports revealed that nine buses carrying 40-50 migrants each traveled to the city. Homeless advocates immediately pushed back, calling the suggestion alienating. However, on Monday, Adams defended the idea, saying, “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned,” adding that the city was looking for “creative ways” to address the “humanitarian crisis,” NY Times reports.

Despite the city opening 23 emergency shelters, there are still not enough beds to accommodate the influx of people. Full-time facilities are being pushed to their limits and affecting the quality of life in the neighborhood.

Adams claims that cruise ships, which the Bloomberg government briefly considered as a substitute during its immigration spike, may help reduce the stress.

“We’re saying, ‘You could come here, but you are not allowed to work.’ That is unbelievable,” Adams said.

“We need to look and see what we are facing shortages. How do we go about allowing people to take care of themselves? If not, we, the government, must take care of them. That just makes no sense.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand suggested on Friday that recent immigrants could be moved to upstate areas struggling with unemployment. This might result in significant federal funding for the cities.