Roosevelt Hotel in New York City set to close as a migrant shelter
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Roosevelt Hotel, which has been open for nearly two years as a main intake center for migrants, is now set to close, according to Mayor Eric Adams in his first open-forum Q&A in three weeks.
While 53 shelters are set to close down by June, the Roosevelt Hotel is expected to stop greeting migrants and asylum seekers in the coming months.
Between May 2023 through February 2025, around 173,000 registrations had been completed.
"Thanks to the successful strategies we put in place here in New York City and because of policies we advocated for at the border," the mayor said.
This closure comes amid President Trump's immigration crackdown, with federal dollars yanked from the city.
Adams filed a lawsuit on Friday against the Trump administration over the $80 million that the city says the White House removed from a city bank account without permission.
Meanwhile, the closure marks a significant milestone in New York City's three-year asylum seeker humanitarian response.
The hotel served as an arrival and emergency response relief center.
During the height of the crisis, the city received an average of 4,000 arrivals each week. That number has sharply decreased to about 350 registrants per week.
"We're not done caring for those who came into our care," Mayor Adams said. "Today marks another milestone in immense progress that we've achieved in turning the corner in the unprecedented international humanitarian effort."
More than 84% of eligible adults in the city's care have applied for work authorization.
Mayor Adams spoke about the closing of the Roosevelt Hotel while also addressing questions about his top deputy mayors resigning, Gov. Kathy Hochul's recently proposed checks on his authority and the Trump Justice Department's move to dismiss his criminal case.
"When I spoke to some of my colleagues, I was like, 'Why are you calling for this? Like, what is the reason?' 'Well, because they just, they are putting it forward-the possibility of dismissing your charge,'" Mayor Adams said. "That's a reason to take away the mayor of the largest city in America? If that's the standard, we are all in trouble."
The mayor blasted members of his own party as hypocrites, for not having his back at the height of the migrant crisis.
"They did not criticize the White House one time when we were being inundated from migrants and asylum seekers," he said. "They were silent. They said nothing. They didn't bring about any legal challenges. They did nothing at all."
As for the upcoming mayoral primary, Adams said he is running.
"Petitions will be in the streets. So please, if you see one with my name on it, please sign it," he said.
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