NYC places of worship to house illegal immigrants at up to $125 a pop, per night, but who pays?

The Catholic Church has consistently embraced illegal immigrants in America over the years so it only makes sense that with New York City running out of places to put foreign nationals who entered the United States illegally that the city would turn to places of worship.

Aside from Mayor Eric Adams suggesting residents give up a spare room in their homes to house illegal immigrants being bussed to the sanctuary city from Texas, which is a story for another time, 50 houses of worship in New York City will be opening their doors for overnight stays for the “asylum seekers,” according to Fox 5 New York.

“Each location will shelter 19 single adult men. The city says by August, they expect nearly 1,000 migrants to be housed in these places of worship,” the affiliate reported. “In addition, the city will also be opening five daytime centers for migrants to go to during the day that will offer legal services and more, while these faith-based spaces continue their normal activities.”

Pastor Gilford Monrose, the executive director of the NYC Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, told Fox 5 “It’s a first for the city, it’s the first for us.”

“I think these faith centers will give not only a place to sleep at night but also act as a source of strength, comfort and hope to be able to [help migrants] acclimate to society,” Monrose said.

“We have the mission, we have the motivation, and we have the facilities to help,” Archbishop Eugene Blount of the Elim International Fellowship said.

“The ministry building was originally a convent, so it was originally built to house people,” Blount added. “So we have space where we can house people, we have space where people can gather in public space.”

New York City will spend $85 a night to house each illegal immigrant and will help with additional costs like laundry services and security. The overall cost per night is expected to be around $125, according to a spokesperson for the mayor. The current cost, according to the Fox affiliate, is around $380 a day for each migrant, with NYC having already spent $1.2 billion to house and care for migrants.

“No matter what faith you practice, caring for those in need is part of every spiritual tradition,” Adams said. “I’m proud that through this new partnership with New York Disaster Interfaith Services, New York City’s faith community will be able to provide shelter to asylum seekers in need at houses of worship throughout the five boroughs.”

Tom Tillison

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