The first day of class for new arrivals like Thiago came amid "dystopian" rhetoric from the mayor.

Since April 2022, 110,000 migrants have come to New York, with 10,000 arriving a month, largely bused here to the Port Authority terminal by conservative leaders from border states like Texas, in a political dispute about border security.

The surge has forced city officials to open more than 200 emergency sites to house migrants, after its traditional shelters became overwhelmed. And schools are feeling the strain as well.