Staten Island pastor scraps plans for migrant shelter after alleged threats

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Rosebank pastor said his parish would not be moving forward with plans for a migrant shelter after he allegedly received threats that he believes were fueled by Staten Island officials.

The Rev. Hank Tuell, head of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Rosebank, sent an email Thursday afternoon saying that the parish would not be moving forward with a 57-bed migrant shelter in the church’s parish hall that is on the first floor of the Canterbury House senior residence at 1331 Bay St. next to the church.

“After careful consideration, Saint John’s Church has made the difficult decision to not move forward with our asylum seekers shelter ministry,” he said. “At Saint John’s Church, our mission is rooted in compassion. But while we were working to fulfill our duty to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and welcome the stranger, I received disturbing threats from anti-immigrant groups, who were sadly encouraged by several of our officials. Our commitment to serving those in need remains steadfast, and we will continue outreach programs that focus on providing assistance to those facing hunger, offering care to the sick and creating a welcoming environment for all.”

Tuell declined to identify from whom the threats came, but backlash when news broke of the plan had been swift, including from local elected officials.

Borough President Vito Fossella, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), District Attorney Michael McMahon, State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid-Island), and Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) sent a letter to Tuell and Mayor Eric Adams outlining their opposition to the plan shortly after they learned of it.

Their letter laid out several legal reasons why they said part of the Canterbury House building could not be used to house migrants, including a housing agreement with the state that helps secure tax breaks for the location.

Residents of the senior living facility, which opened in 2000, also reached out to the Advance/SILive.com and some of the elected officials to express their concerns about the plan.

On Thursday, Fossella said he was unaware of the threats, adding that he had never personally spoke to Tuell, but said the decision not to move forward with the shelter was a win for Canterbury House residents and those in the surrounding neighborhood.

“What we did is put on record, along with every elected official that represents that area, that we were deeply concerned about what was going to happen,” he said. “The bottom line is — good news for the residents. We were getting some folks who were legitimately having anxiety and [were] concerned [about] lives disrupted potentially, so good news for them.”

Migrant shelters around the Island have received pushback, including a senior residence in Midland Beach, hotels in neighborhoods, like Travis, and the former St. John Villa Academy in Arrochar.

Malliotakis applauded the latest decision to not move forward with the migrant shelter at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

“I’m pleased that after expressing our concerns that its plan to house migrants would violate New York City Building laws, FDNY code, and a lease agreement with the state, St. John’s has decided to not move forward with housing migrants at Canterbury House,” she said. “This is great news for the community, but most importantly for the senior citizens who deserve to have their space and residence preserved.”

The congresswoman’s spokeswoman added: “We take exception to his mischaracterization that those opposed to his plan are anti immigrant. Those opposed are pro-legal immigration, pro-senior citizen and pro-taxpayer.”