Eric Adams now seeks to house asylum-seeking migrants on NYC's Randalls Island

Mayor Eric Adams now wants to temporarily house international asylum-seeking migrants on New York City's Randalls Island — abruptly abandoning a plan to put up barracks-style tents on the Bronx beachfront, after that location appeared to be flooding from less than an inch of rain this week, according to his office.

Adams — who also has considered housing the migrants on cruise ships, in closed-for-the-season summer camps and elsewhere — said the new plan can accommodate up to 500 migrants. That’s a fraction of the more than 16,000 who have been bused into the city by Red State governors who are protesting President Joe Biden's border policies. 

"Following this weekend's storms, New York City Emergency Management determined that, while we would be able to put in place the necessary ponding mitigation measures, relocating the Orchard Beach humanitarian relief center to Randall's Island is the most efficient and effective path forward, and work is underway to make this move," his office said in a statement Monday night.

The statement said his office was influenced by the torrential downpour in recent days.

"This new location is less prone to flooding, is closer to public transportation, and will provide temporary respite to 500 asylum-seekers. We expect this site to open in approximately the same time frame as the originally planned location, and we continue to build out our options and explore additional sites as we handle this humanitarian crisis created by human hands,” his office said. 

His spokeswoman Kate Smart said the city is erecting the same accommodations as were at Orchard Beach — the tents that the city calls "​​Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers."

Under the plan, the migrants are expected to stay at the location for up to several days before being placed elsewhere.

The influx of migrants — mostly from Latin American countries like Venezuela — has pushed the city’s homeless shelters to the brink.

Under a 1981 legal settlement, the city must provide shelter to anyone who wants it.

The new plan got mixed reviews.

Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, said in a news release: “For this plan to succeed, many logistical concerns must be addressed” at the new site, “particularly the limited transportation options there. To ensure asylum-seekers can easily move to and from the island, service on the M35 bus should be greatly expanded, and regular ferry service must be established connecting Randall’s to the mainland of Manhattan.”

The statement added: “The City needs to double down on the provision of permanent housing vouchers to those currently in our shelters, to quickly get New Yorkers experiencing homelessness into permanent homes, and to open up space in the overcrowded shelter system. And we need to continue to advocate for federal leadership to expedite work permits for asylum-seekers, coordinate a national resettlement plan, and more quickly reimburse localities like NYC for costs incurred.”

Offered trips from Red State jurisdictions paid for by local taxpayers, the migrants are arriving in Blue State jurisdictions such as New York City and Washington, D.C., sent by the Republican governors seeking to pressure Biden, a Democrat, to tighten border controls. Recently, the Florida governor sent a plane of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The governors have indicated that those trips would continue unabated.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.