Councilmember Julie Won Photo Credit: Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
Feb. 19, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Julie Won has introduced a bill in the New York City Council to prohibit the public disclosure of shelter addresses by city agencies.
Won’s Intro. 1198 would prevent any mayoral agency or office that operates emergency or temporary shelter facilities exclusively serving new arrivals from publicly disclosing the address or location of any shelter in the city, except when required by a judicial warrant.
Won said the bill aims to protect the privacy of shelter residents “amid political uncertainty and anxiety on the federal level.”
If passed, the bill would apply to city agencies and associated entities that provide shelter, including the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), NYC Health + Hospitals (H + H), NYC Housing Recovery Operations (HRO), and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
The bill additionally seeks to prohibit agencies from sharing any information that identifies a shelter as a sanctuary shelter unless ordered to do so by a federal judicial subpoena.
Western Queens has become a focal point in the city’s response to the ongoing migrant crisis, housing a significant percentage of New York City’s migrant shelters. The area, which includes neighborhoods such as Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside, has seen a disproportionate number of hotels converted into temporary housing facilities.
The City Council’s Immigration Committee will first hear Intro. 1198. If approved, it will be voted on by the full City Council.
Won believes that the bill will help protect the “dignity” of shelter residents who may be targeted by immigration authorities.
“Our newly arrived immigrant neighbors have a right to privacy when living in our city’s shelters. As the federal administration continues to promote policies targeting immigrants, my bill Intro. 1198 ensures that shelter addresses are not public information unless required by an official judicial warrant,” Won said in a statement.
“As a city built on the backs of immigrants, it is our responsibility to protect the dignity and well-being of our newest neighbors. We will continue upholding the safety and privacy of new arrivals in our shelters amid the political uncertainty and anxiety on the federal level.”
In a follow-up statement to Fox News, Won said it is also the city’s “responsibility” to strengthen existing sanctuary city laws and protect the well-being of new arrivals.
Won said Intro. 1198 would expand on existing sanctuary city protections such as Executive Order 41 and Local Law 228 of 2017, which limit federal immigration enforcement activities in city-operated shelters.
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams appeared to introduce a significant shift in New York’s sanctuary city policies last week when he announced that he would issue an executive order allowing ICE agents into the Rikers Island complex.
Adams, who received major criticism from fellow New York Democrats over his perceived ties to the Trump Administration after the Department of Justice dropped federal corruption charges against the mayor, announced the news last Thursday after meeting with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.
Adams said the move to allow ICE agents into the jail would enable them to assist in criminal investigations, “in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs.”
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