ISLAMABAD – The famous Roosevelt Hotel, which makes space for migrants under the agreement, garnered revenue for years and it comes under scrutiny for using taxpayer funds for the foreign-owned hotel.
Amid the stern measures, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the Roosevelt Hotel at 45th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of NYC served as a migrant processing center and shelter for asylum seekers for the last two year, and now it will be closing soon.
The development comes as the US migrant crisis started getting better, with a significant drop in the number of new arrivals to the bustling city.
Roosevelt Hotel, owned by beleaguered Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), was originally shut down in Covid due to the global tourism downturn and was repurposed as one of the city’s key shelters for migrants, following a $220 million.
NYC admin paid $202 per room per night for the 1,000+ room hotel, which provided migrants with access to vaccines, food, and other vital services. Maor said the city is still committed to supporting migrants, but the shelter’s closure marks a significant milestone in the city’s efforts to manage the ongoing humanitarian situation.
US administration is pushing to revise migrant care services amid sharp decline in new arrivals. According to reports, the weekly number of migrants arriving in New York has dropped to around 350, down from a peak of 4,000.
The famous hotel, sheltered over 173,000 migrants since it was converted into a shelter. However, it faced challenges in keeping up with the influx of new arrivals.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency uncovered that Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA allegedly misused $59 million meant for disaster relief to house illegal immigrants in luxury New York City hotels.
$220 million for 3 years: Pakistan leases out PIA’s Roosevelt Hotel to NYC administration
