New York City Mayor Eric Adams 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.”
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.
