New York City quietly opens $6M ‘welcome center’ for migrants 

New York City Officials quietly opened a “welcome center” to handle the influx of migrants that have arrived in the city in recent weeks, The New York Post reported. 

The facility, operating out of the Red Cross complex in Hell’s Kitchen, aims to enroll the children of migrants in schools, offer job placements, and legal help to fill out immigration paperwork. 

“The concept and the plan is to have various city providers on site as a one-stop, one-time, get as many things done as you can,” said a source familiar with the operation.

The welcome center is part of a $6.7 million contract issued in August to help the thousands of migrants that are arriving in the city or being bused from Texas by Governor Greg Abbott. 

Abbott has sent more than 7,400 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April and more than 1,500 migrants to New York City since August 5 in an effort to push back against the nation’s immigration policies. 

However, New York City officials have become overwhelmed by the number of migrants arriving and are struggling to provide a promised intake center and hotel rooms for those coming.

Authorities hope that the welcome center can help bring much-needed support to the migrants as they work on opening the new intake facility in the city. 

“What the city is trying to do is help with more than things that are needed in a moment,” said Alexander Rapaport, who heads the Masbia Soup Kitchen Network, which is helping provide food to migrants as they get off the buses at the Port Authority.

Despite the facility opening on Wednesday, only a handful of people were at the facility, which is being run by Catholic Charities.