In what seems to be a rather late reaction to an enduring crisis, Mayor Eric Adams has finally declared his intent on transitioning the Row NYC hotel from its current role as a migrant shelter. This Times Square locale saw its transformation to house migrants almost three years ago. Despite being the largest in New York City, its operation as a shelter has recently been deemed dispensable, raising questions on the Adams administration’s treatment of the situation.
Adams made it known on a weekend that the city’s contract with the Row NYC hotel won’t be renewed beyond April. This decision came as a consequence of experiencing a slump in the migrant influx. Although border crossings have hit a record low, the reasoning seems dubious at best when considering the number of migrants still in dire need of refuge.
The individuals currently housed at Row NYC will be shifted to other city-administered homeless shelters. This is perhaps indicative of the city’s lack of foresight, as it is simply a displacement of the problem rather than a definitive solution. The looming closure further signifies the end of the city’s unevenly applied emergency response towards the migrant crisis.
Activating its role as a shelter during the overwhelming wave of migrants arriving from the southern border, the Row hotel became an evident symbol of the city’s strained resources. Already struggling prior to its $40 million contract with the city, the hotel was given a lifeline, albeit with room prices exorbitantly set at $190 per night.
The owners, Rockpoint Group and Highgate, have yet to unravel their plans for the hotel once the lease concludes next year. The financial strain experienced by the hotel during the pandemic could shape their decisions, potentially further robbing migrants of badly needed sanctuary.
The city’s ordeal with the migrant crisis, which caused a significant stir among New Yorkers, consumed nearly $7.7 billion to house over 238,000 individuals for three years. The extent of this problem witnessed at shelters like the Row and Roosevelt hotels carved its divisive state deeper into the city.
The presence of migrant families, largely originating from Africa and Latin America, was met with mixed reactions. Some folks saw the utility of the city’s approach, viewing these hotels as crucial to prevent street camp-outs. However, a rational majority raised their voices against this imprudent arrangement, highlighting the needless expenditure of taxpayer’s money on services like housekeeping and laundry for migrants.
Crimes and burglaries rampant in the city were closely associated with the concentration of hotel-based shelters in the location. The congregation of migrants near these hotels not only raised safety concerns but also paved the way for quality-of-life issues, making local residents and businesses increasingly worried about elevated trash and loitering around the area.
Despite these apparent flaws in the city’s strategy, the skate only scraped the ice with the implementation of border restrictions last year. The arrival of migrants experienced a downward spiral and further plummeted with Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign that kicked off after his inauguration in January.
Despite the tightening of border controls, it remains a grey area as to the number of migrants residing in city shelters that have faced deportation. The federal government’s arrests hovering around 2,300 immigrants since Mr. Trump took office don’t spell out this figure.
In the wake of decreasing migrant arrivals, the Adams administration has been shutting down shelters including those stationed in large Manhattan hotels like the Roosevelt. Extended shelter facilities such as at Randall’s Island and Floyd Bennett Field have also been wound up.
Currently, over 35,400 migrants are still seeking shelter in New York City, mainly composed of families with children, a considerable decline from January 2024’s figure of 69,000 migrants. Now most are shoved into smaller hotels and shelters managed by the Department of Homeless Services, which is shouldering an exhaustive burden of sheltering 92,000 homeless individuals, including migrants.
It was striking that Mr. Adams portrayed the forthcoming closure of Row as another ‘major milestone in our administration’s recovery from this international humanitarian crisis.’ While the City’s administration might be recovering from this crisis, the displaced migrants, who still remain in need, do not share the same level of recovery.
With this newly announced closure, the administration continues to display its inability to handle this crisis effectively or humanely. The focus appears to be on superficial victories rather than devising comprehensive solutions that prioritize the most vulnerable—those that are truly at the heart of this crisis.
The post Adams Shows Disdain for the Vulnerable with Closure of Row NYC Shelter appeared first on Real News Now.
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