NYC Closing Roosevelt Hotel Migrant Welcome Center
Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel, the first stop for tens of thousands of migrants arriving in New York City, will close by the end of June, Mayor Eric Adams pledged Monday.
Background
The 1,022-room hotel, a block from Grand Central Terminal, is the latest large-scale migrant shelter that city officials have lined up for closure, following announcements about the tent shelter for families at Floyd Bennett Field which closed in January, the Randall’s Island shelter which is expected to close by the end of February, the tent shelter at Creedmoor Psychiatric Facility expected to close in March, and the Hall Street mega-shelter closing by June.
History of the Roosevelt Hotel
The city opened the Roosevelt Hotel to arriving migrants in the spring of 2023, when thousands of people were making their way to New York City every week. As the city raced to find places to house them, people spent days sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel on the sidewalk during a heat wave. [1]
Decline in Migrant Numbers
In recent months, the city has seen a steady decline in the number of migrants living in its shelters, now down to around 45,000 people from a peak of nearly 70,000 in December of 2023, as fewer people are entering the city’s migrant shelter system while the number of move-outs has remained steady, with 30 and 60-day limits on many people’s stays.
New Developments
While we’re not done caring for those who come into our care, today marks another milestone in demonstrating the immense progress we have achieved in turning the corner on an unprecedented international humanitarian effort, said Mayor Eric Adams in a press release. City officials opened another new large-scale shelter for adult migrant men in the Bronx just this week, The Bronx Times reported.
Controversies
The Roosevelt Hotel, which became a symbol of the city’s migrant crisis, previously drew the ire of allies of President Donald Trump, including Vivek Ramiswami and Elon Musk, who cited its foreign ownership by an LLC controlled by Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited.
The city pays $202 a night for each of the 1,022 rooms at the hotel, according to terms of the contract obtained through a Freedom of Information request, for an estimated $75 million a year. More recently, the Trump administration used the Roosevelt Hotel as an excuse to claw back $80 million from New York City coffers and withhold an additional $100 million more that had been allotted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse the city for some of the money it’s spent sheltering migrants from the southern border.
Legal Dispute
In a Feb. 18 letter, sent a week after the $80 million disappeared from city accounts, FEMA official Cameron Hamilton wrote to the New York City Office of Management and Budget claiming that the "vicious Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua" — which the Trump administration designated days later as a terrorist organization — had "taken over the hotel and is using it as a recruiting center and base of operations to plan a variety of crimes." City lawyers have sued to try and reclaim the withdrawn and withheld money, disputing the Trump administration’s claims about the hotel.
Conclusion
The closure of the Roosevelt Hotel marks another significant milestone in the city’s efforts to address the migrant crisis. While there is still much work to be done, the city’s progress in turning the corner on this unprecedented humanitarian effort is a testament to the resilience and determination of its residents and officials.
FAQs
- When will the Roosevelt Hotel close?
The hotel will close by the end of June. - What is the current number of migrants living in the city’s shelters?
The number is currently around 45,000, down from a peak of nearly 70,000 in December 2023. - What is the city’s plan for the future of its migrant shelter system?
The city is working to create a more streamlined and efficient system, with a focus on supporting the transition of migrants to permanent housing and employment. - What is the current status of the city’s lawsuit against the Trump administration?
The city has sued to try and reclaim the withdrawn and withheld funds, disputing the Trump administration’s claims about the hotel.
