City starts building migrant encampment on Randall's Island soccer fields

RANDALL'S ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) – Contractors and city officials have begun to lay the groundwork for large tent structures on some of the soccer fields of Randall’s Island Monday.

It comes after days of speculation that the city may turn to the popular youth turf fields on the far south end of the island to house migrants.

Mayor Eric Adams and his team have signaled for months that the influx of migrants was unsustainable without additional federal support and has continued to respond to questions about using park facilities with a familiar reframe: “All options are on the table.”

Migrants were seen sleeping on the streets in large numbers last week for the first time during the crisis — with the city’s emergency shelter system of around 200 sites — out of room. To alleviate the overcrowding and get people off the sidewalks, parts of the recreation centers at Sunset Park and McCarren Park were commandeered to house migrants.

PIX11 News has reached out to city officials for detailed information about the Randall‘s Island plan. Tenting was previously used on the island in the parking lot of Icahn Stadium but was ultimately dismantled.