With the battle over homeless vouchers still unsettled, progressive New York City Council members are picking another fight with the Adams administration over his newest shelter policy. Council Member Shahana Hanif plans to introduce a bill today that would block the city from imposing a time limit on shelter stays for migrants — or for anyone. “This is essentially an eviction notice,” Hanif told Playbook of the mayor’s plans, “and we're saying the mayor is not allowed to put out directives that are basically kicking folks out. … It sets dangerous precedent.” Mayor Eric Adams announced in July that single, adult migrants would only be able to stay in a city shelter for 60 days. In September, the limit was dropped to 30 days. After the date, they’re not blocked from shelter entirely — that would be a violation of the city’s right-to-shelter mandate that requires housing anyone out on the streets — but they have to go through the intake process again. City Hall says it’s focused on “exit strategies,” and that everyone who gets a notice — 15,600 so far — also gets “aggressive case management” to get them on their own two feet. And by the way, 30 days is generous, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom said in a Wednesday briefing on the migrant crisis. “Most of what you’ll see on the border is people get 24 hours, 72 hours,” she said. If Adams actually has a list of haters, like he claimed Tuesday, Hanif would be on it, along with some of her cosponsors: Council Members Lincoln Restler, Jenifer Gutiérrez, Carmen De La Rosa, Crystal Hudson, Pierina Sanchez and Sandy Nurse. And City Hall is taking aim at them with their typical retort, noting to Playbook that most of their districts host few to no emergency shelters for migrants, suggesting they’re not feeling the crisis. Hanif’s Brooklyn district, they say, has just one. It’s two, Hanif responded, and that’s emblematic of City Hall preferring finger pointing to solutions: “As a legislator, as the chair of the Immigration Committee, as the daughter of immigrants, I have the right to call out their bullshit and their xenophobia.” “This bill would be disconnected from the reality our city is dealing with every single day,” Adams spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said in a statement, which said the city is proud of its response, but resources are strained. They haven’t seen the specific language, but blocking the 30-day rule “would hurt the city’s response to this crisis.” Could this be another veto override fight, like over providing housing vouchers? Time will tell. That would need Speaker Adrienne Adams’ support, and her office just gave Playbook their standard answer for new legislation: She’ll be reviewing it. — Jeff Coltin IT’S THURSDAY. Meaning it’s almost Friday. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? In Mexico where he will meet with the head of a local migrant shelter, participating in a roundtable with Mexican business leaders, talking with the CEO of AT&T Mexico in a fireside conversation, traveling from Mexico City to Puebla, meeting with the state of Puebla’s local assembly, receiving an honorary degree from the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, receiving an award during a meeting with Puebla’s governor, community leaders and migrants, holding a virtual media briefing on his trip, returning to Mexico City, meeting with the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs — and, finally, appearing on a Mexican news show. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “History, by its nature, is complex” — the City Council’s Italian Caucus in a statement arguing that Monday’s holiday should still be known as Columbus Day.
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