How much contraband did the NYPD find when officers descended on the migrant shelter at Randall’s Island for a surprise search, displacing the 3,000 residents for hours in Friday’s 90-degree heat?
An NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist on Tuesday that none was found. The department also confirmed there were no arrests, which fueled criticism from officials with the Legal Aid Society, who argued that the display of force was unwarranted.
“The fact that they didn’t find anything shows that the scope of the operation may have been an overreaction to a problem that doesn’t exist,” Josh Goldfein, Legal Aid staff attorney, said.
The sweep followed a shooting near the site early last week that left one migrant woman dead and two others injured. A suspect fled on a moped, according to police.
The NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Kaz Daughtry, announced the search in a social media post early Friday afternoon, saying the “safety and security” of all New Yorkers was the top priority of the department.
The Legal Aid Society criticized the search, arguing it might violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. They reported that the 3,000 migrants living at the site were forced to leave the tent encampment while police searched, and noted that police remained on the scene for several hours afterward.
“Just by doing this, you have driven a wedge between the clients and the staff,” Goldfein said.
On Friday, migrant street vendors selling chips, cigarettes and cold drinks were relocated from their usual position at the end of the Wards Island Bridge to a nearby pedestrian path.
Several migrants living at the site told Gothamist that fights and petty thefts were common occurrences, making safety a real concern.
“It’s good for our security. You know, it’s good for us,” a shelter resident, Ibrahim Kaba, told CBS 2. “It’s to protect us. We don’t know what is inside. So let’s say if they have a gun or some drugs, taking that out is good for us.”