Quick Hit:

Dozens of Queens residents rallied Sunday to demand the closure of an East Elmhurst migrant shelter after a Venezuelan national accused of shooting two NYPD officers was found living there. 

Key Details:

• About 60 residents and officials gathered outside the converted Courtyard Marriott hotel, now a shelter for asylum seekers, demanding its closure.

• The rally followed the arrest of Bernardo Castro Mata, a 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant, charged with the attempted murder of two police officers.

• Residents highlighted issues such as increased crime, drug sales, and declining quality of life, with local leaders emphasizing the community's saturation with shelters.

Diving Deeper:

According to a report by the New York Post, around 60 Queens residents and officials rallied outside a migrant shelter in East Elmhurst, demanding its closure after Bernardo Castro Mata, a 19-year-old Venezuelan national, was arrested for allegedly shooting two NYPD officers. The shelter, a converted Courtyard Marriott hotel, had been Mata’s residence.

Former city councilman and state lawmaker Hiram Monserrate expressed the community's frustration with the proliferation of homeless shelters, stating, "Our community has been over-saturated with homeless shelters for far too long. This has been a total failure at all levels of government." He emphasized that the recent shooting incident has heightened the need for immediate action.

Residents are increasingly concerned about their safety and quality of life, citing issues such as drug sales, public drinking, and prostitution in the area. "Now we're getting complaints about RVs and prostitution right here on Ditmars Boulevard. Drug sales right here on Ditmars Boulevard," Monserrate added.

Chants of "Shut it down" resonated outside the shelter as residents, like Ditmars Block Association member Frank Taylor, voiced their demands: "Enough is enough. Time to start shutting some of them down, starting with this one. Our community has suffered. We are taxpayers and homeowners and we have been totally disrespected and taken for granted."

The city has struggled to accommodate the influx of migrants from the US border, using hotels, schools, and churches as temporary shelters. Mata, who crossed into Texas from Mexico illegally in July, was reportedly involved with a violent migrant moped crew and claimed membership in the notorious Venezuelan "Tren de Aragua" gang.

Dr. Lavern Nimmons, a longtime resident and retired elementary school principal, expressed her concerns about the neighborhood’s transformation. "We were concerned about the shelters because we were concerned about the quality of life for New Yorkers. Just because you're poor doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a good quality of life," Nimmons said.

Queens already has 15 migrant shelters between Queens Boulevard and LaGuardia International Airport. Residents feel the burden is too great, with Nimmons adding, "This is too much. It's just too much to flood this community with shelters that will not get the kind of support that we need."