Migrants protest for 2nd day outside of Watson Hotel seeking fairer living conditions

Those outside of the hotel were screaming “no a la discriminacion a los immigrantes” – meaning no to discrimination of immigrants.

News 12 Staff

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Jan 31, 2023, 10:12 PM

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Updated 460 days ago

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Asylum seekers and migrant advocates protested outside of the Watson Hotel for a second day and say they won’t leave until they get fair and safe living conditions.

Those outside of the hotel were screaming “no a la discriminacion a los immigrantes” – meaning no to discrimination of immigrants.

Multiple activists and elected officials joined those outside of the hotel, telling them they will be safe and taken care of at the new migrant housing center in Red Hook. But migrants say they are not leaving to move there.

Those in the migrant housing system say they’re asking for privacy and safety in their living spaces, saying the Brooklyn Terminal location in Red Hook does not provide them enough.

They say that the hundreds of beds in one place and lack of a place to securely store personal belongings is not fair, and that they’d rather stay out in the cold and fight for better conditions.

Mayor Eric Adams’ office says the new Brooklyn location is equipped with what they need and most of what they are asking for - including heating, beds, safety, and ample storage space.

The mayor's office provided the following statement:

“This weekend, we began the process of moving single adult men from the Watson Hotel to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, as we transition the hotel to meet the large number of asylum-seeking families with children. More than 43,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since last spring and we continue to surpass our moral obligations as we provide asylum seekers with shelter, food, health care, education, and a host of other services. The facilities at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will provide the same services as every other humanitarian relief center in the city, and the scheduled relocations to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal are taking place as planned. We remain in serious need of support from both our state and federal governments.”