Mayor Adams Announces Forthcoming Closure of Roosevelt Hotel Asylum Seeker Humanitarian Relief and Arrival Center

February 24, 2025

Adams Administration’s Asylum Seeker Management Strategies and Border Policy Advocacy Have Helped Lead to Over 7 Months of Shelter Census Decreases, Total Savings Reaching More Than $5.2 Billion Over Three Fiscal Years

80 Percent of Migrants That Have Sought Care from City Have Taken Next Steps in Journeys

Between June 2024 and June 2025, Adams Administration Will Have Closed 53 Emergency Migrant Shelters Thanks to Exit Policies

WATCH: Mayor Adams Announce Closure of The Roosevelt Hotel Asylum Seeker Arrival Center and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the forthcoming closure of both the Asylum Seeker Arrival Center and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center located at The Roosevelt Hotel, marking a significant milestone in New York City’s nearly three-year asylum seeker humanitarian response. The site has been instrumental in supporting hundreds of thousands of migrants on their journeys toward achieving self-sufficiency in the United States. Opened in May 2023 — during the height of the international asylum seeker crisis, with the city receiving an average of 4,000 arrivals each week — the facility has functioned as a centralized intake center for newly arriving asylum seekers. The site has provided a variety of supportive services to migrants, including legal assistance, medical care, and reconnection services, as well as served as a humanitarian relief center for families with children. Out of the more than 232,000 migrants that have come into the city’s care since the spring of 2022, more than 173,000 registrations were completed at The Roosevelt Hotel between May 2023 and February 2025. In recent months, the average number of registrants has decreased to approximately 350 per week. Going forward, these intake functions and supportive services will now be integrated into other areas of the system.

“While we’re not done caring for those who come into our care, today marks another milestone in demonstrating the immense progress we have achieved in turning the corner on an unprecedented international humanitarian effort,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration has skillfully managed this crisis, which has seen over 232,000 migrants enter our city asking for shelter, and The Roosevelt Hotel has been key in allowing us to effectively manage our operations, processing over 173,000 individuals through these doors. Now, 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, while simultaneously saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The fact that, within a span of year, we are closing 53 sites and shuttering all of our tent-based facilities shows both our continued progress and our ability, when faced with unprecedented challenges, to do what no other city can.”

“There are so many moments that I can point to where we have made significant strides in positively and effectively impacting the lives of the thousands of migrants who made their way to New York City, but the activation of The Roosevelt Arrival Center was true game changer,” said Mayor’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations Executive Director Molly Schaeffer. “Our work on this humanitarian relief center is far from over, and our teams and community partners remain committed to serving everyone who comes into our care; but today’s announcement is a testament to the tremendous work that has been done to date as we remain steadfastly focused on our mission!”

The planned transfer of intake functions from The Roosevelt Hotel to other areas within the system, alongside the planned closures of 53 other emergency shelter sites by June, reflects the dedicated efforts of the Adams administration to address an international crisis and to supporting asylum seekers as they pursue their path towards the American Dream. These efforts have included expanding work authorization and pathways to self-sufficiency— leading to more than 84 percent of adults eligible for work authorization receiving or applying for it in the city’s system — as well as the administration’s successful asylum seeker management strategies — including reticketing, case management, and 30- and 60-day notices — that have resulted in sustained decreases in the number of migrants seeking shelter and care from the city, now at its lowest figure since the height of the humanitarian response. There are currently fewer than 45,000 migrants in the city’s care, down from a high of 69,000 in January of 2024 and out of the more than 232,000 that have arrived in New York City seeking city services since the spring of 2022. The city’s efforts have directly resulted in approximately 24,000 fewer asylum seekers in the city’s care on a day-to-day basis, and allowed the Adams administration to announce multiple site closures in December 2024,  January 2025, and February 2025.

Based in midtown Manhattan, The Roosevelt Hotel Arrival Center served upwards of 173,000 migrants at a single time upon their arrivals as part of the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers to New York City; at the peak of the crisis receiving in excess of 4,000 asylum seekers each week.

Since the first asylum seekers arrived in the spring of 2022, New York City has continued to focus on the support needed to help migrants take their next steps towards self-sufficiency. The city’s Asylum Application Help Center — a first-in-the-nation entity — has helped complete more than 98,000 applications for work authorization, temporary protected status, and asylum. The work of the New York City Department of Small Business Services and workforce development teams have connected this population to hundreds of job opportunities, and the administration’s case management and resettlement teams — in conjunction with teams across multiple city agencies — continue to find creative ways to assist recent arrivals through direct outreach, resource fairs, and onsite English as a Second Language courses at shelters, to name a few examples. 

Over 84 percent of eligible adults in the city’s care either have or have applied for work authorization thanks to the Adams administration’s efforts. The city has also purchased more than 53,200 tickets to help migrants reach their preferred destinations and help reduce long-term costs for New York City taxpayers. Additionally, staff have conducted over 873,000case management sessions with migrants, dedicated to helping them identify self-sufficient pathways out of city shelter, in addition to implementing the city’s 30- and 60-day notice policies.  

As a result, more than 188,000 migrants who requested services from the city in the last three years have taken the next steps in their journeys towards self-sufficiency. Since intensive case management services began in October 2023, 40 percent more families with children in humanitarian relief centers each week have taken their next steps. Additionally, Mayor Adams successfully reduced the city’s asylum seeker spending over Fiscal Years 2024 through Fiscal Year 2026 by more than $5.2 billion. 

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