Drugs, Theft, Violence: Disaster in New York’s Migrant Hotels
A border crisis with expatriates packed into hotels: a recipe for chaos.
An increasing number of U.S. political figures are saying it loud and clear: the migrant crisis plaguing their country is unprecedented. Migrants crowd into big cities and due to the demand for housing exceeding the supply, leaders have decided to pack those expatriates into hotels.
And this is where things get tricky.
The Row Hotel: Chronicle of a Total Destruction
New York’s Row Hotel no longer exists; in fact, it is still standing where it was built, but the migrants have almost destroyed it. Carlos Arellano, who used to work in this 1,300-room building set across 28 floors, has shared videos and photographs showing how the place has become a total mess. Rooms and hallways are “full of garbage, with clothes strewn everywhere together with drink bottles and food boxes lining the floors”, The Daily Mail reported.
There’s more: many of its occupants congregate outside on the sidewalk, scaring off tourists who want to visit nearby Broadway or Times Square. Several employees said that many rooms were constantly trashed and that migrants drank and smoked marijuana all day long. Fights also break out at any time.
From a 10-year-old girl drunk alone in a room to an intruder carrying a machete, everything is going wrong in the Row Hotel. This is precisely where Daniel Hernandez Martinez has been arrested six times on fourteen charges. Among other crimes, Martinez attacked a man with a bike tire and at least three strangers and two cops.
The Roosevelt Hotel: “It’s Not Good for the Business”
The Roosevelt Hotel was closed in 2020 due to continued financial losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the 1,025-room building has turned into a migrant shelter. According to The New York Post, from May to September 2023, “41 people have been arrested” there.
This is where a 30-year-old migrant was taken into custody for alleged child endangerment. This is also where an asylum seeker was accused of bashing an employee’s head with a “No Parking” sign.
Businessmen denounced the situation. “These migrants here, they are disturbing us a lot”, said George Boahene, a store manager. “They are always hanging around scratching the windows and making [them] dirty. […] It’s not good for the business.”
Strange coincidence: Mayor Eric Adams needed to lease the Roosevelt Hotel from Pakistan International Airlines for $220 million. Pakistan International Airlines, which is controlled by the Pakistani government, was barred from flying directly to the United States after 9/11. The Trump administration allowed the company to resume direct flights.
A Multibillion Dollar Mess
U.S. taxpayers must pay a fortune to house migrants: around $4.3 billion since April 2022. For instance, New York has to fork over $311 a night for each migrant at the Holiday Inn Express on Kings Highway in Brooklyn.
In January and February, Eric Adams’s administration signed another series of emergency deals with eight hotels in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, for $137 million, and with the Hotel Association of New York City for more than $75 million.
Add to this orgy of funds the latest absurdity: the debit-cards-for-migrants scheme. Just lately, the Roosevelt Hotel has started to hand out debit cards to migrants for them to buy food and baby supplies. New York officials say it’s starting the new measure with 115 families, giving each one $350 a week.
Sources
Bloomberg, Jihad Watch, The Daily Mail, The New York Post #1, #2, #3, #4, The Real Deal, Zero Hedge
