Asylum Seeker Census
Last updated August 24, 2023Asylum Seeker Census
The City of New York has opened emergency shelters, Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs), and respite centers to provide shelter for people seeking asylum under the right-to-shelter obligation, found in the State Constitution.
As of March 9, 2025, the City had approximately 42,700 people seeking asylum in City-funded shelter, and over 233,000 have come through the City’s system since the spring of 2022. To meet the need, the City currently runs approximately 180 sites including 9 humanitarian relief centers. Shelter facilities are operated by multiple agencies, with most under the Department of Homeless Services. Sites differ by population type, serving families with children, adult families, and single adults. The Administration has prioritized space in emergency hotel shelters operated by DHS for families with children, moving single adults to large congregate facilities more likely to be operated as HERRCs by H+H or HPD. Following recent population declines, the Mayor has continued to announce the closure of sites, including some of the largest in the City like the Roosevelt Hotel and Randall’s Island.
Asylum Seekers in City Funded Shelter by Managing Agency (Individuals)
Asylum Seekers by Shelter Type (Individuals)
Individuals seeking asylum residing in City shelters are classified into one of three household types: families with children, adult families, and single adults. The census is broken down by household type. Families with children made up the largest share of the population in FY 2024, and as of March 9, 2025, represented 81% of the asylum-seeking population in NYC-funded shelter.
The City has placed time limits on many household types. In August 2023, City Hall instituted a 60-day limit on single adult stays at HERRCs, and reduced that time limit to 30 days in October of the same year, requiring these individuals to reapply for shelter. On October 16, 2023, City Hall announced that families with children in non-DHS shelters would also be required to move and reapply for shelter after 60 days. On November 13, 2023, single adults in DHS shelters started receiving 30-day notices; these shelter limits were formalized in a stipulation of settlement agreement entered in March 2024. [1] [2] In late August 2024, the State granted NYC permission to issue 60-day notices to new immigrant families with children in DHS facilities, however as of mid-December 2024, the Comptroller’s Office is unaware of any such notices being issued. [3] In November 2024, the Administration announced that families with children in kindergarten through sixth grade could remain in the same shelter, regardless of managing agency, following their second 60-day notice. [4]
According to data provided by City Hall as of March 2nd, a total of 14,487 families with children in emergency shelters (all non-DHS shelters to date) have been given 60-day notices. These households include a total of 54,033 individuals (28,320 adults and 25,713 children). Of the 23,989 adults from families with children in households whose 60-day notices had expired as of March 2nd, 12% remain in the shelter where their 60-day notice was given, 20% have been transferred to other shelters, and 68% have left shelter.
The Administration does not record next steps for those exiting shelter; information on asylum seekers transitioning out of City-funded shelters and whether they have secured their own housing is not available.
This chart shows a four-week average of new arrivals and departures based on the overall shelter census change and the number of new arrivals or departures each week. After the time limits on shelter stays were implemented, the number of people leaving shelter increased. At the same time, the number of entries has decreased, potentially the result of the time limits and other deterrents such as curfews and long waiting times, decreased border crossings, or other unknown factors.
Federal policies have had a large impact on trends in NYC, including the June 4th, 2024, Biden Administration change, and the 2024 Presidential Election. The first few months of the Trump Administration have proven to be an even greater whirlwind for immigration policy, with a deluge of executive orders restricting Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest quotas, reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, among additional restrictive policies. The Comptroller’s Office will continue to monitor these trends, including the continual decline of shelter entrants, and changes to the in-shelter population.
Four Week Average of Asylum Seeker Entries and Exits
Asylum Seekers in NYC-Funded Shelter Outside of NYC (Individuals)
Asylum Seekers Outside the City
In May 2023, City Hall began sending some asylum seekers to hotel shelters upstate. The City of New York faced legal pushback from several counties, but continued to pay for shelter and services in several locations around the state. On October 31, 2024, the Adams Administration announced it would end support for all upstate sites by December 31, 2024. [5] Asylum seeker census figures shared by City Hall since December 22nd indicate that all upstate sites had closed.
New Arrival Students in Public Schools
More than 36,000 students in temporary housing enrolled for the first time in NYC public schools since July 2022, an increase driven by new arrivals.
Cumulative Newly Admit Students in Temporary Housing Since July 2022
Cumulative Newly Admitted Students in Temporary Housing by District
Newly Admitted Students in Temporary Housing
This map shows the cumulative number of students who first enrolled in NYC public schools since July 2022 and who are in temporary housing by district.
The Office of the Comptroller uses the term “asylum seeker” to refer to newly arrived migrants who have come to NYC in need of shelter and are seeking asylum or other forms of immigration relief.
Endnotes
[1] NYC expands 30-day stay limits to single adult migrants in DHS shelters - Gothamist
[2] City Hall and Legal Aid Society settle right to shelter case - City & State New York
[3] https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/08/20/mgrant-family-shelter-eviction-temporary-disability-assisstance-homeless-services/
[4] https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/837-24/mayor-adams-issues-orders-further-save-taxpayer-dollars-help-migrants-take-next-steps-in
[5] https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-to-close-10-upstate-migrant-hotel-shelters-by-end-of-2024