NY City ending lease agreement with Roosevelt Hotel

NEW YORK: New York City is ending its $220 million lease agreement with the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel, which had been serving as a migrant shelter, following intense criticism from some of US President Donald Trump’s supporters over the use of American taxpayer money to house asylum seekers.

The iconic hotel in Manhattan was shut down in 2020 due to a severe loss of revenue resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Three years later, its management signed a lease contract with the New York City which converted it into a shelter for a large number of asylum seekers in the United States.

Facing pressure from both the federal government and right-wing hardliners, Mayor Eric Adams announced the closure of the facility on Monday.