New York City is ending its $220 million lease agreement with the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel, which had been serving as a migrant shelter, following intense criticism from some of US President Donald Trump’s supporters over the use of American taxpayer money to house asylum seekers.
The iconic hotel in Manhattan was shut down in 2020 due to a severe loss of revenue resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Three years later, it’s management signed a lease contract with New York City which converted it into a shelter for a large number of asylum seekers in the United States.
Facing pressure from both the federal government and right-wing hardliners, Mayor Eric Adams announced the closure of the facility on Monday. Adams said the city will shut the Roosevelt Hotel in “the coming months.”
The announcement follows the closure or planned shutdown of 53 other migrant shelters, including a large tent facility on Randall’s Island, which is expected to shutter at the end of the month.
Mayor Adams credited the closure to the administration’s successful emergency response and policy decisions, stating that it will help the city save millions of taxpayer dollars.
