New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams introduced on Monday (February 24) the closure of the Asylum Seeker Arrival Middle and the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Reduction Middle at The Roosevelt Lodge, marking a serious shift within the metropolis’s migrant response technique. The choice, which comes practically a 12 months after the middle opened on the peak of the asylum disaster, indicators a shift within the metropolis’s strategy as migrant arrivals have declined. Nonetheless, the transfer has additionally drawn renewed consideration to the continuing dispute between Adams and the Trump administration over federal funding for migrant assist.
Closing a key hub in NYC’s migrant response
Since opening in Could 2023, The Roosevelt Lodge facility has served as a centralised consumption heart for asylum seekers, offering authorized help, medical care, and different supportive providers. Out of the 232,000 migrants who’ve entered the town’s care since 2022, greater than 173,000 have been registered on the web site. However as weekly registrations have dropped to about 350, the town is now integrating these providers into different areas of the system.
“Whereas we’re not achieved caring for many who come into our care, right now marks one other milestone in demonstrating the immense progress we’ve achieved in turning the nook on an unprecedented worldwide humanitarian effort,” Mayor Eric Adams mentioned. He highlighted the administration’s success in managing the disaster whereas additionally noting that closing the ability will assist save taxpayers thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
Adams additionally emphasised that inside a 12 months, the town has closed 53 emergency websites and phased out all tent-based migrant shelters.
Federal funding battle with Trump Administration
The closure announcement comes simply days after New York Metropolis sued the Trump administration, in search of to reclaim $80 million in FEMA funds meant to cowl resort prices for migrants. The lawsuit accuses the administration of withholding the funds with out prior discover or clarification. The funds—initially accredited underneath President Joe Biden—embody a $59 million grant and a further $21.5 million in assist for the town’s migrant response efforts.
Billionaire Elon Musk, a detailed Trump advisor and head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), criticised the FEMA funds, calling them unlawful. “The @DOGE staff simply found that FEMA despatched $59M LAST WEEK to luxurious inns in New York Metropolis to accommodate unlawful migrants,” Musk wrote on X, arguing the funds violated federal regulation.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the choice to revoke the funds, stating, “Mark my phrases: there won’t be a single penny spent that goes in opposition to the curiosity and security of the American folks.” Noem accused “FEMA deep state activists” of improperly authorizing the funds earlier than her division intervened to reclaim them.
Vivek Ramaswamy criticises NYC’s $220M deal to hire Pakistan-owned resort for migrants
Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s now working for Ohio Governor, has strongly criticised New York Metropolis’s reported $220-million deal to hire the Roosevelt Lodge, which is owned by Pakistan’s authorities, to accommodate unlawful migrants. He argued that the association quantities to taxpayers funding a international authorities to accommodate migrants on US soil.
The Roosevelt Lodge in Manhattan, which had been closed since 2020 and required intensive renovations, is owned by the federal government of Pakistan. The deal is reportedly a part of a broader $1.1 billion bailout package deal from the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) aimed toward serving to Pakistan keep away from defaulting on its worldwide debt.
Ramaswamy calls the deal ‘Nuts’
Expressing outrage, Ramaswamy took to X to query the allocation of funds, calling the state of affairs “nuts.” He argued that NYC residents are primarily paying a international authorities to accommodate unlawful migrants, calling it an irresponsible use of taxpayer cash.
