No one could have predicted what was going to happen when the first buses carrying migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border arrived in Manhattan in 2022.
More than 230,000 migrants from around the globe — from Venezuela, Peru, Morocco, Sudan — would flock to New York City that year, catching the city off guard.
City officials, facing a legal requirement to house the new arrivals, spent more than $7 billion to build a hodgepodge of shelters, which over time became the largest system of emergency housing for migrants in the country.
More than 100 hotels, hit hard by the loss of tourism amid the pandemic, found second lives as shelters. Warehouses and office buildings were converted into barracks-style dormitories. Tent shelters were built on athletic fields.
The shelters were not without controversy, with opponents citing violence at some and the frequent disarray on the sidewalks outside. But even with the crisis so visibly burdening the city, much of it was hidden from public view.
Last year, The New York Times was granted exclusive access to eight shelters to document life there, following the lives of several families and other asylum seekers, from seven different countries.
Artist Bios
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Todd Heisler
Todd Heisler is a staff photographer for The New York Times and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He covers everything from politics and breaking news to daily life in New York City and beyond, always aiming to take a deeper look at issues and communities.
Organizations
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The New York Times
Since 1851, the New York Times has been on the ground reporting stories from around the globe that no one else was telling. How we tell those stories has changed, but our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world has remained constant.
Inside New York’s Migrant Shelters: Fear, Joy, and Hope
Featuring: Todd Heisler
Curated by: Eve Edelheit Todd Heisler
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
