The New York City Department of Buildings reports that authorities have evacuated a Bronx furniture store that was used to house numerous migrants in “unsafe living conditions.”
As per the DOB, the order to vacate was given due to “severe overcrowding, lack of natural light and ventilation, and hazardous life-threatening conditions.”
Just a few days after dozens of migrants were discovered in a Queens furniture store owned by the same individual, at least ten people were removed from the establishment on Wednesday, according to the DOB.
At the time of Monday night’s inspection, the Queens store had 74 migrants, the majority of whom were from West Africa.
The city claims that others might have left on their own or dispersed when the police showed up. In case more migrants arrived later in the evening, the city posted signs on the closed storefront gate with information on how to get services.
The DOB reported that when inspectors arrived at a two-story commercial building in the Bronx to look into an “illegal conversion,” they discovered that the store had been illegally converted into sleeping quarters, with 45 beds crammed into the first floor and cellar.
The DOB reported that hot plates, e-bikes, extension cords, and space heaters could be found all over the building.
Camille Joseph Varlack, chief of staff to the mayor, stated that complaints were filed and that’s how the city found out about the store.
“When we entered, we discovered that some people were living in dangerous circumstances. We promptly evacuated those areas and directed those people to other resources, just as we would with any New Yorker we discovered living in a dangerous manner,” Varlack stated.
As part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star plan, migrants were bused to New York City from the southern border. The city is currently experiencing a housing and food crisis.
As of February 16, the Texas governor’s office reported that 37,900 migrants had been sent to New York City since August 2022.
