Police find nothing in raid at Randall’s Island migrant shelter

RANDALL’S ISLAND, Manhattan (PIX11) -- The New York Police Department reveals they did not find any contraband nor did they make any arrests during a raid on the migrant shelter on Randall’s Island, according to a spokesperson.

Police using K-9 units searched the migrant shelter for guns and drugs last Friday around 1 p.m. Investigators said it was in response to a deadly shooting that killed one woman and left two others injured on July 29. 

Migrants were not allowed to enter or leave the shelter as the raid was conducted on a day that felt like nearly 100 degrees. One person told PIX11’s Henry Rosoff that they waited outside for five hours after being told the search would be quick. 

“Temporarily displacing and conducting a police raid on 3,000 new arrivals …not only raises serious constitutional questions, but is draconian and fuels dangerous xenophobic sentiment,” said organizers from The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless.

The organization criticized the city’s move saying the search treated asylum seekers like threats and contributed to the climate of suspicion between migrants and city staff.

PIX11 has reached out to the mayor’s office for a statement but did not yet hear back at the time of publication.