Alan H. had been at a South Bronx migrant shelter for three days when he awoke in the middle of the night to find itchy, red bumps on his arms. They were bed bug bites.
That morning, March 8, H. promptly reported the issue to staff at the shelter located at 825 East 141st St. They told him he would receive a laundry card the next morning and that he needed to wash his clothes. The staff collected his bedding and clothing and relocated him to the second floor, where he said he struggled to sleep because of inadequate heat and a thin blanket.
By 4 p.m. that day, H. received a $4 laundry card to use at a laundromat a 30-minute walk from the shelter. H. said no MetroCard was provided. After that, it still took the shelter a while to return the clothes to him. Fatigued and concerned about walking alone in the dark, he requested to do laundry the next day instead, having estimated that the whole process would take him about two to three hours. However, staff insisted that he wash his clothes immediately. When he refused, he said shelter workers packed up his belongings and removed them from the premises.
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H.’s efforts to resolve the issue ultimately took him on a circuitous path — one that ultimately ended up with him being expelled from the shelter. Another resident willing to speak on the record also shared with Documented concerns and migrants’ experiences with bed bugs in the shelter.
“I was immediately kicked out,” said H., who arrived in the United States in December 2023. Fearing further retaliation, he requested that his full name and identity remain undisclosed.
H. spent hours carrying his suitcases to the reticketing center at 185 East 7th St. in the East Village, only to find it closed. After multiple attempts, he finally connected with a staff member who directed him to a church in Brooklyn which provided temporary shelter.
The next day, March 9, H. returned to the reticketing center and reported his experience. He was told that the Bronx shelter, “welcomes him back” — but when he arrived, a doorman denied him entry, citing policy. H. made another call to the reticketing center to report his experience. After about a 90-minute wait, he was finally let inside, only to be turned away again later that afternoon when he returned from doing laundry. With help from staff at the reticketing center, H. was finally granted reentry into the shelter.
“I am the victim of bed bugs,” he said, “but I was kicked out and mistreated.”
A spokesperson for the shelter facility management confirmed to Documented that on March 8 a guest was identified with bed bugs, and according to them, the guest refused to follow their bed bug mitigation policies. They said due to the hazard this presents to their other guests within the facility, the guest was told in order to stay in the shelter, they would have to follow their policies. They said the guest refused and as a result was sent back to the arrival center to seek new placement, adding that they allowed the guest to return as long as upon entry, the guest followed their bed bug policies.
“The health and safety of everyone in our care is a priority, which is why we encourage guests to tell us about bed bug incidents to prevent spread,” Liz Garcia, first deputy press secretary of the Adams administration, told Documented.
The Bronx facility is one of many shelters the city administration is currently using to house 97,100 people — and as of April 6, 40,800 of those people were migrants, according to information provided to Documented by the Mayor’s Press Office. The Bronx facility opened in late February against sharp criticism from local officials and residents.
“When a guest alerts us about possible bed bugs, we immediately treat the bedding, laundry, and swap out their cot completely to prevent spreading. We have not and will never ask anyone to leave our care because they reported bed bugs or other safety hazards,” Garcia said.
Bitten Again
On March 19, H. says he was bitten by bed bugs again — this time across his hips, waist, and arms. His request to change beds was denied. Once again, he was told to do laundry, this time at a laundromat 3.5 hours away on foot. No transportation support was provided, he said.
On Friday, April 11, the spokesperson for the facility management said that all bed bug cases have been addressed. According to them, their bed bug protocols require that either shelter staff bag up guests’ belongings to be washed at off-site laundry trailers or give guests who’ve been identified with bed bug bites laundry cards and detergent to take their own laundry to a laundromat located at 700 Southern Blvd. in the Bronx for cleaning.
市长参选人访华社 游民所问题成焦点
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Affected guests are given a new cot and a new set of linens, including a pillow, blankets and towels, they said, adding that when they are made aware of a bed bug incident, they have the capacity to address an entire floor at one time.
Another resident at the same shelter, who requested anonymity, told Documented he had not been bitten but had recently seen others with bite marks. He has been in the New York City shelter system for nearly five months and at the current Bronx shelter for almost two months. He said complaints about bed bugs are frequent, and that staff often respond with, ‘We’ll see what we can do about it.’ According to him, shelter staff do provide bed bug spray, but the issue persists.
The Bronx shelter is overcrowded, lacks windows, and has poor ventilation, he alleged. “It stinks. There’s no air. We sweat,” the resident added, speculating that the stagnant environment may contribute to the infestation.
Over 234,200 migrants have come through the city’s intake system since the spring of 2022, and as of April 6, the city is currently operating 175 sites, including 6 humanitarian relief centers. From March 31 to April 6, more than 100 new migrants entered the city’s care, and more than 500 migrants left, according to the Mayor’s press office.
