New York Mayor Announces Closure of Roosevelt Hotel Shelter for Illegal Immigrants

NEW YORK CITY—On Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed the impending closure of a shelter and processing center for illegal immigrants located at the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The shutdown is expected to occur before June.

Since May 2023, the hotel has functioned as the Asylum Seeker Arrival Center and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center, and its operations will cease as part of the mayor’s ongoing efforts to reduce services for the declining number of arrivals seeking support, as indicated by a statement from the mayor’s office.

The centers have offered various support services, including legal assistance, medical care, reconnection services, and humanitarian aid.

The Roosevelt Hotel, boasting approximately 1,000 rooms, has processed 173,000 registrations of the city’s total of 232,000 illegal immigrants since 2022, according to the statement.

The hotel’s support programs for illegal immigrants were initially launched in 2023 when the city was experiencing an average of around 4,000 arrivals per week. The current figure has since decreased to about 350 arrivals weekly.

“While we’re not finished providing care for those who seek our help, today signifies another significant step in showcasing the tremendous progress we have made in addressing an unparalleled international humanitarian effort,” said Adams in a video shared on his X account.

The mayor mentioned that 53 additional emergency shelter locations would close by June, emphasizing that these achievements were made possible through “the effective strategies we implemented here in New York City, alongside the policies we advocated for at the border.”

As reported by the mayor’s office, the city has managed to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in its care by 24,000, decreasing from a peak of 69,000 in January 2024 to the current total of 45,000.

The city has broadened work authorization and pathways for self-sufficiency for asylum seekers, with 84 percent of eligible adults having either received or applied for work authorization through the city’s system, according to the statement.

The city’s Asylum Application Help Center, notably the first of its kind in the United States, has facilitated the completion of over 98,000 applications for work authorization, temporary protected status, and asylum.

Additional strategies to manage the influx of individuals in the city’s care include reticketing, case management, and 30- and 60-day notices. Adams attributes these programs to the overall reduction in the number of asylum seekers under the city’s care.

The city has purchased 53,200 tickets to assist illegal immigrants in traveling to their preferred destinations and has conducted 873,000 case management sessions to aid them in finding a sustainable path outside the city’s care system, as stated by the mayor’s office.