New York City's Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in Midtown is shutting down. Here's why.
New York City is shutting down its main migrant intake center at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday, signaling the crisis is abating.
The closure is the latest under the mayor's plan to shutter 53 migrant shelters by June.
A milestone in the asylum seeker crisis, Adams says
The Roosevelt Hotel has served as an arrival center for asylum seekers for nearly two years and became the city's largest intake center at the height of the crisis.
About 232,000 migrants in total have come to the city seeking shelter and approximately 75% of them have gone through the Roosevelt since it opened in May 2023.
"Now, thanks to the sound policy decisions of our team, we are able to announce the closure of this site and help even more asylum seekers take the next steps in their journeys as they envision an even brighter future, while simultaneously saving taxpayers millions of dollars," the mayor's statement announcing the closure said, in part.
Adams said the Roosevelt's closing is a milestone in the asylum seeker crisis, as fewer than 45,000 migrants remain in the city's care. It follows decisions to close migrant tent cities on Randall's Island and Floyd Bennett Field, as well as dozens of other hotel shelters throughout the city.
Still, the latest shelter shutdown is worrying Legal Aid Society lawyers.
"Our concerns now are, one, that they continue to meet that obligation and make sure that people are safe and they know that they can come in and be safe, but also that people not be targeted by being all in one place," said Legal Aid attorney Josh Goldfein.
A closing date has not been announced. The shelter's intake functions and supportive services will be integrated into other areas of the system, the mayor's office said.
A steep drop in migrants arriving at the Roosevelt Hotel
The migrant center at the Roosevelt, a nearly 100-year-old hotel, has offered new arrivals legal and medical services, and shelter for families with children. More than 173,000 migrants have registered there since it opened, according to the mayor's office.
In July 2023, months after the shelter opened, dozens of asylum seekers slept on the street outside for several nights after being told it reached capacity
In recent months, the number of migrants registering for services at the Roosevelt fell to about 350 per week, a steep drop from the approximately 4,000 weekly arrivals when it opened, Adams' office said.
"Now, thanks to our policies, we're down to an average of just 350 new arrivals each week, and while we're not done caring for those who 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 a video released Monday morning.
Asked if the drop in the number of migrants was related to President Trump's immigration policies, Adams said, "I think it's a combination. We started to see decreases in numbers prior to the incoming president ... We saw seven straight months of decline, long before the president came into office, and what we believe is a combination of what we have done here and some changes at the border."
The city enacted policies to help reduce the number of migrants requiring shelter throughout the course of the crisis, including: purchasing 53,000 tickets to other cities, limiting shelter stays to 30 and 60 days, and helping asylum seekers obtain work authorization papers.
FEMA seized funds over Roosevelt Hotel concerns, feds say
Weeks after Mr. Trump took office in January, the federal government seized $80 million in FEMA funds New York City received to house migrants.
The government cited concerns about gangs and other criminal activity at the Roosevelt Hotel.
"FEMA was funding the Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to house Laken Riley's killer. There will not be a single penny spent that goes against the interest and safety of the American people," a Homeland Security spokesperson said in part.
The city filed a lawsuit last week demanding the funds be returned and saying the feds' concerns are unfounded.
