Cardinal Timothy Dolan pushed back against anti-migrant protestors who opposed the use of a former Catholic school site as a shelter, WINS 1010 reported Saturday.

St. John Villa in Arrochar on Staten Island is now being used by the City of New York as temporary housing for up to 50 migrant single women and families, WINS 1010 reported. Last week, a temporary injunction against that use was issued, only to be overturned by an appellate court. The new residents began arriving on Friday, August 25.

The former school was purchased by the city following its closure in 2018. Local residents cited public safety as their primary concern and reason for opposing the use of the site as a migrant shelter.

Cardinal Dolan hoped that residents would take a more compassionate view of the situation and remember the school’s history. “Most people say ‘These people deserve a place to live, just not here.’ Well no, we all have to take a deep breath and do our duty. You take St. John Villa, thank you, that used to be a Catholic school. Sadly, it’s closed, but the students that went there a century ago, they were asylum seekers,” Cardinal Dolan said in a telephone interview with WINS 1010 radio. 

Three people were arrested during the protests for obstructing municipal operations, WINS 1010 reported.