The Roosevelt Hotel, a controversial migrant shelter in Manhattan, is set to shut down in the coming months, Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Monday. The closure comes as the number of asylum seekers requiring city assistance has steadily declined since President Trump assumed office.
Describing the planned shutdown as a significant moment for New York City, Adams, a Democrat, noted that more than 232,000 migrants have arrived since the crisis began in the spring of 2022. The Midtown hotel has served as both a primary intake facility and an emergency shelter for new arrivals.
In a recorded statement, Adams attributed the decision to close the shelter to “the successful strategies we put in place here in New York City and because of policies we advocated for at the border.”
The repurposed hotel is projected to cease its shelter operations by June.
According to Adams, 64, the number of new migrants entering the city’s care has dropped to approximately 350 per week—a sharp contrast to the peak of the crisis when nearly 4,000 asylum seekers were arriving weekly.
Data from the city shows that in the week leading up to February 2, roughly 200 migrants sought city assistance, while 1,800 left the shelter system. In the first week of Trump’s presidency, around 300 new migrants were processed by city officials while another 1,800 exited the shelters.
During President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office, weekly arrivals averaged between 400 and 500, officials reported. These figures mark a substantial decline from the summer months when up to 900 migrants entered the city’s system each week.
“While we’re not done caring for those that came into our care, today marks another milestone in demonstrating the immense progress we have achieved in turning the corner on the unprecedented international humanitarian effort,” Adams said in his announcement.
City Hall assured that once the Roosevelt facility ceases operations, newly arrived migrants will have alternative locations where they can register.
Back in January 2024, the city was providing shelter to roughly 69,000 migrants. That number has since dropped to fewer than 45,000, officials said.
The Adams administration stated that from June of last year through this coming June, a total of 53 migrant shelter locations—including all of the tent encampments—are slated for closure.
The Roosevelt Hotel, boasting around 1,000 rooms, was first repurposed into a migrant intake and shelter site in May 2023. This move was part of an effort to accommodate the unprecedented number of migrants arriving via buses from southern border states.
Between May 2023 and this February, more than 173,000 migrants passed through the Roosevelt’s intake center.
However, since becoming a shelter, the landmark hotel has encountered numerous issues. According to sources and officials who spoke to The Post last year, the site became a hotspot for gang activity.
The location also drew significant numbers of illegal delivery bikes in 2023, creating congestion and making pedestrian movement difficult.
Roughly a year ago, Gothamist reported that some migrants were forced to sleep in vehicles outside the hotel due to a lack of available space inside.
Adams’ announcement about the Roosevelt’s closure comes as the city takes legal action against the Trump administration in an effort to reclaim $80.5 million in federal migrant aid previously approved by Congress.
The White House discreetly withdrew the funds from the city’s accounts last week, prompting the lawsuit.
Amid these developments, Adams has been accused of striking a deal with the Trump administration—allegedly agreeing to support the president’s immigration enforcement policies in exchange for the Department of Justice dropping a federal corruption case against him.
Both the mayor and the DOJ have vehemently denied such claims.
The legal case against Adams remains unresolved, with a judge recently stating he intends to consult an independent attorney before ruling on the DOJ’s request to dismiss the charges. Adams has consistently maintained his innocence regarding the allegations.
{Matzav.com}