Migrants return to Floyd Bennett Field after sleeping on school floor during storm

BROOKLYN (WABC) — Migrant families returned to Floyd Bennett Field early Wednesday after being temporarily relocated to a high school during the high winds of the winter storm.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited James Madison High School in Brooklyn on Tuesday night to see the asylum seeker families sleeping in the auditorium and gym.

In pictures posted on social media, there do not appear to be cots. Instead, the migrant families are sleeping in auditorium chairs, in folding chairs, or on the floor with blankets.

The city said the winds at Floyd Bennett Field had subsided by 1:10 a.m. By 4:30 a.m., officials said “our temporary relocation of Floyd Bennett Field HERRC guests to James Madison High School was completed and all guests safely returned to Floyd Bennett Field HERRC.”

The decision had already been made to operate the high school remotely Wednesday, but the move has drawn backlash from some parents and politicians.

Republican Assemblyman Michael Novakhov held an “emergency rally” outside the school on the “decision to prioritize migrants over the our communities, budget, safety and even the education of our children.”

The decision didn’t sit well with parents who felt the administration put the shelter needs of asylum seekers ahead of the educational needs of kids.

Now with another storm on the way, parents are wondering if the migrants will soon return to James Madison.

“Nobody is in charge, New Yorkers are a very compassionate people but they are losing their patience, they don’t have any patience anymore,” said New York State Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny.

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