The End of an Era

New York City is preparing to close its last and most infamous immigrant hotel, signaling a shift in its handling of the immigration situation, as reported by the Post.

The former four-star hotel on 8th Avenue was repurposed in October 2022, transforming its 1,331 rooms into shelters amidst a significant immigration crisis, as confirmed by Mayor Eric Adams. This arrangement, costing the city $51.3 million monthly, will not be renewed when it expires in April.

This contract allowed the hotel, owned by the Boston-based Titan Rock Point Group, to benefit from over $170 million.

It’s uncertain what the facility’s future will look like now. Before it became a shelter, the hotel charged between $414 and $435 per week for a standard room. A representative from the company has not responded to inquiries.

“We are proud to close the Row Hotel, the last hotel in the city’s emergency shelter system, marking a significant milestone in our recovery from this international humanitarian crisis,” Adams stated in an interview.

The Row was initially chosen to address a growing immigration issue after Adams declared that the city’s homeless shelter system had hit a breaking point.

However, the hotel became notorious for incidents of crime, drug use, and violence among its residents. For example, there was an alarming case involving a 25-year-old Venezuelan immigrant accused of breaking into a Manhattan prosecutor’s apartment. Reports also surfaced of aggressive encounters involving tenants attacking police officers.

Workers expressed frustrations, describing the hotel atmosphere as chaotic, with rampant issues related to drugs and violence since it started housing immigrants.

The Midtown South district, which includes the Row and the Times Square area, has experienced high crime rates historically. This year, crime has generally decreased by nearly 10% compared to last year, but incidents of robbery have gone up by about 16%, along with a slight increase in felony attacks.

The ongoing immigration situation has cost over $8 billion since spring 2022, as the city has provided food, shelter, and various services to more than 238,000 migrants arriving in the country due to previous border policies.

At its peak, NYC utilized 220 hotels and contract locations for new arrivals.

As of June 25, 2024, the city is operating 193 immigrant shelters, with nearly 80% of them being former hotels and taxpayer-funded accommodations, according to an internal list reviewed by the Post.

Other facilities included religious complexes and a controversial “Tent City” at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, housing around 2,000 individuals, along with 1,000 at the Creed Moore Psychiatric Center in Queens.

Currently, the city is managing just four contract shelters, with Row NYC being the last operational site.

The Department of Homeless Services is gradually integrating remaining immigrants into the city-run shelter system, which had about 92,000 residents last week, including 35,400 immigrants.

“Three years ago, our cities started seeing thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers arriving weekly, and the Adams administration took action,” the mayor noted.

“We opened numerous emergency immigration shelters, ensuring that families do not end up on the streets. Since the onset, over 200,000 migrants have transitioned out of the shelter system and are moving towards self-sufficiency,” he added.

“We’ve managed this humanitarian crisis effectively, in ways that other cities have struggled to,” he concluded.