New York Parents Outraged Kids Being Displaced by Migrants at School: ‘This Is F—-d Up’

New York City parents and residents expressed frustration Tuesday night after a group of around 2,000 migrants and asylum seekers were shuttled from Floyd Bennett Field to a local high school ahead of heavy storms and high winds.

The migrants were transported from a temporary shelter at the inactive airfield to James Madison High School, located around five miles away in the borough of Brooklyn. While the shelter flooded during a storm last month, major flooding is not expected Tuesday evening, while wind speeds are forecast to exceed 70 mph.

The families sheltering at the high school are expected to leave the campus to return to Floyd Bennett Field by 5 a.m. However, students at the school will attend virtual classes on Wednesday due to the school’s conversion into a temporary shelter and the inclement weather.

The city's Emergency Management Department has also issued a travel advisory through noon on Wednesday due to expected wet and windy conditions.

“This is f—ed up,” a local resident, who identified himself only as Rob, told the New York Post. “It’s a litmus test. They are using a storm, a legitimate situation, where they are testing this out. I guarantee you they’ll be here for the entire summer."

Another woman, who identified herself only as Michelle, was seen in a video posted to social media screaming at the buses transporting the migrants to the school.

“How does it feel that you kicked all the kids out of school tomorrow?” the woman screamed. “Does it feel good? I hope you feel good. I hope you will sleep very well tonight!”

New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, whose district includes the high school, argued the school’s students are being directly punished by President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

“They were dismissed early today and are full remote tomorrow because migrants from Floyd Bennett are at the school tonight to weather the storm,” Vernikov said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, before turning her attention to Mayor Eric Adams. “@NYCMayor this is unacceptable! Stop this now and take the migrants into Gracie Mansion!”

Meanwhile, some users on X expressed relief that James Madison High School wasn’t trending for a more violent reason.

“Honestly, I'm just glad to see an American school trending, and it's NOT because of a shooting!” said one user.

“These migrants, who have not broken any laws, are being put up at James Madison High School for one night - because of a storm,” said actor and comedian John Fugelsang before arguing that some residents reacted to the news by saying metaphorically that there’s “no room at the inn.”

Some 162,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in New York since 2022. Many of them have been transported to the state from Texas, which has sent thousands of migrants to so-called “sanctuary cities” in retaliation for what Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has described as an immigration “crisis” along the U.S.-Mexico border.

New York City continues to care for roughly 70,000 migrants, connecting them with temporary housing and social services as they arrive in the city.