can further reduce its reliance on hotels to meet its obligations to shelter people who have nowhere else to go joshua goldfein staff attorney at the legal aid society said at an event marking the opening of the facility on randalls island nyc emergency management commissioner zach iscol told reporters that demobilizing that location and installing it on the island cost roughly 750000 beds are seen in the dormitory at the randalls island humanitarian emergency response and relief center oct 18 2022 in new york city critics of the facility including the legal aid society urged the mayor to focus on finding more permanent solutions the city is currently caring for over 17500 asylum seekers a number that continues to grow steadily editors note story updated to correct that as of wednesday not tuesday there were 285 people staying in the migrants facility we will continue to pivot and shift as necessary to deal with this humanitarian crisis but its clear that we still need financial assistance from our state and federal partners in october the department of homeland security announced it would begin expelling venezuelan migrants who try to cross into the us under the authority of title 42 a trumpera public health statute that allows the quick expulsion of migrants citing the risk of covid19