What we can VERIFY about a New York City high school housing migrants

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has asked President Joe Biden’s administration for help with managing an influx of migrants.

Now, Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, and other people online are claiming that students at a New York City high school were displaced to house migrants. 

DeSantis shared the claim in a viral post on X and during the Jan. 10 presidential primary debate with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. 

“Just this week, we saw the news that a high school…in Brooklyn, New York, had the kids stay home. They were not able to go to school, told ‘you can’t get an in-person education.’ Why? Because the city’s commandeering the school to house illegal aliens in it,” DeSantis said during the debate. 

During his Jan. 10 town hall with Fox News, Trump said New York City is “getting rid of regular students” and “putting migrants in their place.”

Billionaire Elon Musk also claimed in a viral post on Jan. 10 that New York City “forced kids out of their school” to house migrants. 

Many VERIFY readers sent us similar posts and asked if the claims are true. 

THE QUESTION

Did a New York City high school displace students to house migrants?

THE SOURCES

• Spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams
• Jodie Cohen, principal of James Madison High School in Brooklyn 
• New York City Comptroller Brad Lander 

THE ANSWER

These claims are missing context. It’s true that a group of migrants was temporarily relocated to a New York City high school and students had to learn remotely as a result. But the relocation was due to severe weather and students returned to campus the next day.

WHAT WE FOUND

It’s true that a group of migrants were temporarily relocated to a high school in New York City. Students at that school had to learn remotely as a result.

But the claims from DeSantis, Trump and others are missing context. The migrants were moved to the school due to a severe weather emergency. Students were displaced for only one day and have since returned to attending school in-person.

New York City officials evacuated nearly 2,000 asylum-seekers from a tent complex at Floyd Bennett Field, a former airport in Brooklyn, on Tuesday, Jan. 9, ahead of a storm, according to a statement from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a report from the AP. 

The group of migrants was relocated to James Madison High School in Brooklyn for the night. Students at that school learned remotely for one day, a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams told VERIFY. 

James Madison High School Principal Jodie Cohen also confirmed on the school’s website that the school building would be closed on Jan. 10 “to ensure a smooth transition for families temporarily sheltering overnight in the building.” 

Regular in-person learning resumed one day later on Jan. 11 after all of the families who stayed at the high school returned to Floyd Bennett Field, according to Cohen.

“The NYPD, Emergency Services Unit and school administration have conducted a thorough safety check of the entire building, and our custodial staff has been hard at work deep cleaning for the return of our students tomorrow,” Cohen said. 

The move to temporarily close the school to shelter migrants has drawn backlash from both parents and elected officials throughout the city.

In his statement, Lander also criticized the city for having a temporary shelter that was “not adequately set up for extreme weather.” 

Adams’ office said the “only reason” the evacuation took place was because of the “emergency situation” that arose amid forecasts of a storm bringing drenching rain and high winds. 

Unlike most other big cities, New York also has a longstanding “right to shelter” that requires the city to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks for it. The city tried in October 2023 to suspend the requirement due to the influx of migrants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.