NY Taxpayers Set to Pay $1 B Over Illegal Migrants Sheltering in Hotels

Since turning its hotels into sanctuaries for migrants, New York City has collected more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funding.

The city is shelling out an average of $156 per room per night for hotel rooms that shelter alleged refugees, and some of these rooms cost the city more than $300 per night.

Mayor Adams has struck multi-million dollar deals with several New York City hotels, including one with the Midtown Manhattan Hotel Row NYC, which reportedly receives $5.13 million every month. 

Out of the approximately $4.88 billion spent on the migrant crisis in recent years, $1.98 billion has been allocated for housing. According to internal data, while the city has allocated part of the almost $2 billion in housing funds to shelters, the vast majority of those shelters—approximately 80%—are located in hotels or inns.

A $2 million monthly agreement has been secured for the use of its 335 rooms at the Crowne Plaza JFK in South Jamaica, Queens.

Local business owners have voiced their displeasure that a flood of migrants has replaced the hotels’ formerly bustling clientele. It’s been a windfall for the hotels, but local stores have been crushed. 

The city announced in September a three-year, $1.3 billion contract extension with the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC). In January, New York City and HANYC negotiated a $76.69 million agreement to supply 15 hotels in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx as a “last resort” sanctuary for migrants until July.

It’s not only the surrounding businesses that are tanking; a municipal watchdog warned that taxpayers are being crushed by the migrant influx, with citizen services being back burner in favor of illegal immigrants.

While the rest of the country grapples with the “national humanitarian crisis” brought on by mass illegal immigration, New York City authorities boasted in June that a taxpayer-funded program that provides $350 weekly to migrant families is serving as a model.

Spending on migrants is expected to reach $10.6 billion by the summer of 2025, according to prior projections by the New York City government. 

Mayor Adams informed legislators that the state’s commitment of around $2 billion in the current budget cycle will only cover a third of the city’s migrant expenses.