By Joseph De Avila and Alyssa Lukpat

The Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, one of New York City's most high-profile shelters that served thousands of migrants, is shutting down in June.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said Monday his administration was closing the hotel because fewer migrants were coming to the city. However, some critics have questioned the timing of the closure, pointing to Adams's legal issues and the Trump administration's move to dismiss federal charges against him.

A City Hall spokesperson said the shelter closures have been in the works since December.

An average of about 4,000 migrants were arriving in New York City each week when the hotel first opened. It fell to about 800 in December. An Adams spokeswoman said there were nearly 2,900 people staying at the Roosevelt as of last week. Since the Roosevelt opened as a shelter and intake center in 2023, more than 173,000 migrants have registered there, encompassing most of the migrants who have come to the city, Adams's office said.

"Thanks to the sound policy decisions of our team, we are able to announce the closure of this site and help even more asylum seekers take the next steps in their journeys as they envision an even brighter future," Adams said.

The closure of the Roosevelt is part of the Adams administration's broader plan to close more than 50 migrant shelters by June after new arrivals of migrants have slowed. Migrant advocates expressed concern about how the city would continue to help migrants after closing the Roosevelt, which provides housing and access to city services and functioned as an intake center for newly arrived asylum seekers.

Some migrant advocates questioned the timing of the closure of the Roosevelt. Former allies and Manhattan prosecutors have accused Adams of entering into a quid pro quo arrangement to help the Trump administration with immigration enforcement in exchange for dropping federal criminal charges. Adams has denied the allegation.

The Justice Department, under Trump, moved to dismiss a bribery case against Adams earlier this month -- but reserved the right to revive the case later. Fellow New York Democrats have called on Adams to step down following accusations that he was now beholden to the Trump administration.

"As long as the city is still devoting resources and support to the newest New Yorkers, this move may make sense," said Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. "But the Adams administration's recent moves on immigration appear to be tainted by the Mayor's desire to pander to the Trump administration."

The Roosevelt, off Madison Avenue in Midtown, has become an emblem of the city's migrant community. It was "a modern day Ellis Island," Mukherjee said.

Migrants used to wait in long lines outside the hotel to try to secure one of its rooms. A City Hall spokesperson said there were about 1,000 rooms for migrants. Before the Roosevelt closed in 2020, the art-deco hotel was a backdrop for movie and television productions.

New York City became overwhelmed with migrants after Republican officials in border states began busing migrants north in 2022. The city has spent billions to care for migrants and open more shelters. Adams's office said Monday there were currently fewer migrants in the city's care than at any other point in recent years.

Many of the migrants staying at the Roosevelt Monday said they didn't know the shelter was closing.

A migrant from Shanghai who has been living on the 11th floor of the Roosevelt for three months said she just wanted permission to work so she could take care of her baby.

"We don't have money, work or a work permit. We need help. If we get work we will leave this hotel," said the migrant.

Misinformation had circulated online saying migrants were living in luxury at the Roosevelt. Migrants at the shelter Monday said it was just an ordinary hotel.

Columbia's Mukherjee said her clinic notified clients who are asylum seekers staying at the Roosevelt to inform them the site was closing.

"They are experiencing tremendous uncertainty and fear about where they might go next and to what extent they'll be able to rely on support from the city moving forward," Mukherjee said.

The Adams administration said the intake and support services that were offered at the Roosevelt will be handled by other parts of the city's migrant assistance program.

The New York Immigration Coalition had been pushing Adams to close the mega-shelter sites, saying they lacked the health and safety standards found in the city's shelter system for the homeless. They have urged the city to assist migrants through its homeless shelter system.

Murad Awawdeh, chief executive of the New York Immigration Coalition, said it isn't surprising that the Adams administration is shutting down the Roosevelt given that the number of new migrant arrivals is falling. The closure raises the question of where migrants are supposed to turn for help now, he said.

"It's more of an issue of how is this being planned and what is the roll out and how are we going to educate individuals who still need support that are in New York City currently about where they need to go," Awawdeh said.

Write to Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com and Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 24, 2025 15:26 ET (20:26 GMT)

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