Shocking footage has exposed New York City’s migrant crisis after dozens of people were seen sleeping outside the iconic Roosevelt Hotel, which has reached capacity since being converted into a designated asylum center.
Migrants were seen lining the street at 46th and Vanderbilt as commuters made their way to work Monday morning.
The Roosevelt Hotel, which closed three years ago, is one of many hotels that have been turned into emergency centers as the city grapples with an influx of migrants.
New York is bound by a decades-old decree of consent in a class action lawsuit to provide shelter for the homeless.
Many of the hotels are within walking distance of Times Square, the World Trade Center Memorial, and the Empire State Building.
Shocking photos have exposed New York City’s migrant crisis as dozens of people were seen sleeping outside the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan
Migrants were seen lining the street at 46th and Vanderbilt as commuters made their way to work Monday morning
The Roosevelt Hotel, which closed three years ago, is one of many hotels that have been converted into emergency centers
But the rooms at the Roosevelt, where only migrant families stayed, are already full, as more than 93,000 asylum seekers passed through the intake system last spring, according to the city.
Some of the thousands of migrants arriving in NYC have been brought in by buses from Florida and Texas as the states’ conservative governments believe progressive cities should share the burden.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent about 9,700 asylum seekers to New York City, according to Politico. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has flown about 85 migrants to Massachusetts and California.
The mayor’s office said in a statement: “Children and families continue to be given priority and find a bed every night.
“While at least last night we offered all adults a temporary place to wait outside the sidewalks, some may have chosen to sleep outside and, in fairness, New Yorkers may continue to see that more and more as hundreds of asylum seekers remain arrive every day.’
The migrants sitting outside the hotel will likely be taken to another shelter once they are processed.
On Sunday morning, some migrants were seen leaving the hotel and boarding a city bus bound for a shelter in the Bronx, Eyewitness News reported.
Many told local media that they were from Venezuela and did not want handouts, just work.
The legendary hotel near Grand Central Terminal served as election headquarters for New York Governor Thomas Dewey, who falsely announced from the Roosevelt in 1948 that he had defeated Harry Truman for president.
Located in Manhattan’s financial district, the Holiday Inn was also designated a migrant shelter by the city government.
In February, U.S. bankruptcy judge Philip Bentley approved the hotel’s application to sign a contract that will see the establishment house migrants at a cost of $190 per night — a total of $100,000 per day for taxpayers.
It’s not new for the city to turn to hotels for homeless New Yorkers when lodging and other options weren’t available.
During the pandemic, group shelters made it difficult to comply with social distancing rules, prompting the city to rent out hundreds of hotel rooms as quasi-COVID wards. As the pandemic eased, the city became less dependent on hotels.
That changed when thousands of migrants started arriving by bus last year. And that will continue to happen after the end of Title 42.
“New Yorkers may continue to see that more and more as hundreds of asylum seekers continue to arrive each day,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
The migrants sitting outside the hotel will likely be taken to another shelter once they are processed
The municipality says that more than 93,000 asylum seekers passed the intake system last spring.
The Watson Hotel on West 57th Street, which used to get rave reviews for its rooftop pool and proximity to Central Park, is now used to house migrant families.
“It is our moral and legal duty to provide shelter to anyone in need,” the city’s social services said in a statement.
“As such, we have used and will continue to use every resource at our disposal to meet the needs of every family and individual who comes to us seeking shelter.”
Before the wave of asylum seekers, the city was experiencing rising homelessness, overcrowded shelters and a lack of affordable housing. New York even announced a plan to send hundreds of migrants to hotels in the suburbs of Orange and Rockland across the Hudson River, angering local leaders.
Mayor Adams said earlier this month that there is “no more room in the city.”
As more migrants have arrived, Adams, who called the immigration crisis a “disaster,” has tried different approaches to housing them, from tents to relocations to other parts of the state.
Adams declared a state of emergency in October 2022 and called on President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, to provide more resources and help migrants obtain work permits.
The city plans to spend more than $4.3 billion to slow down the crisis.