New York City mayor spends night in migrant shelter amid controversy over conditions

He was accompanied by New York State Assembly member, Eddie Gibbs, and advocate for the homeless, Shams DaBaron.

Adams posted a video on his Twitter account, showing him playing video games with shelter residents and meeting with them.

In a statement issued after his night in the shelter, Adams said, "I'd like to be clear that the facilities at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal are providing the same services to asylum seekers as every other humanitarian relief centre in the city, and the team at the terminal is giving new meaning to the words 'love thy neighbour.'"

Adams said that he, Gibbs and DaBaron slept at the terminal "alongside hundreds of migrants."

The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was converted into a temporary shelter for male migrants at the end of January. It is expected to accommodate 1,000 single men, including several who were previously housed at the Watson Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The men are being relocated to the Cruise Terminal shelter after the decision was made to use the hotel as a shelter for migrant families.

The move was met with some outcry, according to New York media reports. CBS New York reported some men complained of overly-cramped conditions, lack of privacy, and not enough bathrooms in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal shelter. However, CBS also reported that other migrants countered that criticism, praising the conditions and the food.

The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless, two New York-based non-profit organizations, have also expressed concern over conditions in the new shelter.

More than 44,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since last spring, Adams said in his statement. He has previously said that the influx of migrants is leaving the city with "a humanitarian crisis." The mayor has called on the federal government to develop a strategy that will spread the migrant population across several cities.

Reuters