NYC Closes Roosevelt Hotel Migrant Shelter After Two Years of Operation

Roosevelt Hotel Migrant Center Closure

• 🏨 The Roosevelt Hotel, a symbol of the migrant crisis in New York City, is closing its arrival center for asylum seekers after two years.
• 🗓️ The center officially shuts its doors tomorrow, marking a significant shift in the city's response to the ongoing crisis.

Scale of Operations and Services

• 🌍 Over 155,000 asylum seekers from 160 countries have passed through the center since it opened in 2023.
• 📊 At its peak, the city saw 4,000 asylum seeker arrivals per week, a number now reduced to about 100.
• 🩺 Services provided included screening for communicable diseases, distributing over a million diapers, and offering assistance with food, shelter, work authorization, and job placement.

Transition and Future Support

• 🤝 While the Roosevelt Hotel site is closing, city officials emphasize that the migrant crisis is not over, but has entered a different phase.
• ➡️ Asylum seekers and New Yorkers needing services can still go to any Department of Homeless Services (DHS) center for assistance.
• 🏘️ Advocates stress the need for continued connection between personnel at other shelters and grassroots organizations to support asylum seekers.

Transparency and Progress

• 📢 The decision to allow media tours on the last day was to showcase the progress made and demonstrate how taxpayer dollars were utilized.
• ✅ City officials stated that 80% of individuals who came through the Roosevelt Hotel received assistance.
• ⚠️ Despite the closure of this specific center, New York City continues to face a shelter capacity crisis.