New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday the closure of the Asylum Seeker Arrival Center and the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at the Roosevelt Hotel, owned by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
This marks the conclusion of the city’s $220 million lease agreement with the iconic hotel.
“We are beginning the process of closing down the Roosevelt Hotel’s Asylum Arrival Center and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center,” Mayor Adams stated on social media platform X. He highlighted that the city's migrant crisis had been effectively managed, with the number of new arrivals dropping significantly from 4,000 per week at the crisis’s peak in 2023 to approximately 350 per week now.
Over the past three years, over 232,000 migrants sought shelter in New York City, with 75% of them being processed at the Roosevelt Hotel. Mayor Adams emphasized that due to the city’s successful policies and emergency response strategies, the closure of the shelter was possible, helping save taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Roosevelt Hotel, a historic landmark since 1924, had been closed in 2020 due to massive financial losses from the Covid-19 pandemic. It was reopened in 2023 as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers under a three-year lease agreement between the Pakistani government and New York City. The lease was part of efforts to manage the city’s migrant influx.
In February 2024, Pakistan entered into a Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) with Jones Lang La Salle Americas Inc (JLL) for joint venture development of the hotel. In November 2024, reports emerged that Qatar had explored partnering with Pakistan to manage the Roosevelt Hotel.
The hotel’s closure signifies a shift in the city’s migrant management strategy as the focus turns to more sustainable solutions for asylum seekers.
