By Katie Vasquez
Eighty-seven migrant men were discovered living in the basement of this furniture store in Richmond Hill.
The owner tells Currents News he was only trying to help after seeing the plight of many migrants in the city. The Department of Buildings has issued Sarr’s Wholesale Furniture Store a vacate order.
DOB inspectors were called to this scene to investigate reports of illegal conversion of the two-story, mixed-use building on Monday, Feb. 27.
In their statement to Currents News, they say they found the first floor and the cellar had been made into sleeping quarters, with 14 bunk beds and 13 beds packed tightly together.
The store’s owner, Ebou Sarr, provided this video of what that basement looked like.
Sarr said the men, who were mainly from Senegal, left their home countries plagued by political violence in the hopes of a better life in America.
But instead, he said they dealt with a broken system.
“When I saw how they’re kicking the people out, giving them 30 days, why are you throwing them outside?” Sarr said. “I mean, what’s the reason? Why are they going to leave after 30 days? For me, it doesn’t make sense. Maybe it makes sense to them, but I don’t know why.”
Sarr says he didn’t initially set out to help such a large group; he only provided shelter to his cousin who came over in October; then he says his phone started ringing nonstop with migrants needing help.
He claims he offered them shelter in the store’s basement with strict rules, such as no e-bikes and no cooking to prevent a fire. However, officials say e-bikes were on the property. The FDNY was called about a complaint about e-bikes in the rear yard.
In a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said he worries that there is not enough housing for the influx of migrants and fears it could create desperate situations.
“We’re going to do our best to investigate them, give them the appropriate shelter system,” said Adams. “But the reality is with 180,000 people entering the city also looking for housing, over 65,000 currently in our system, if we don’t build more, we’re going to be building more problems.”
Two violations were issued to the landlord of the property for illegal work without a permit and occupying the building contrary to city records.
Those migrant men were transported to a shelter in the Bronx.