New York City has begun reducing the number of hotels used as emergency shelters for migrants, with two key hotels already phased out and others expected to follow soon. The city’s decision marks a significant shift in its response to the migrant crisis, which has eased as the flow of arrivals into the city has slowed.
The 23-room Hotel Merit in Times Square and the 73-room Quality Inn near JFK Airport are the first to be removed from the city’s shelter system. Both hotels were used to house migrants as part of the city’s emergency response to an unprecedented number of arrivals from across the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the need for such shelters has diminished in recent months, prompting the city to consolidate its operations.
“We’ve come a long way since the first buses from Texas arrived in our city over two years ago, when we were working around the clock to care for the thousands of people arriving every week,” said a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams. This statement underscores the city’s initial struggle to cope with the surge in migrant arrivals, which required urgent measures to house and support those in need.
The shift away from using hotels as shelters is part of broader resettlement efforts that have helped transition 170,000 migrants out of the city’s shelter system. These efforts include relocation programs, housing assistance, and support for migrants as they take their next steps toward stability.
“We continue to see a decline in the number of people entering our shelter system every week,” the mayor’s office added, attributing the trend to successful advocacy at the federal level and the implementation of executive actions by the Biden-Harris administration. This includes measures aimed at reducing the number of new arrivals and improving resources for those already in the system.
As the city winds down its emergency shelter operations, city staff remain available to help migrants with their transition plans, ensuring a smoother process as New York consolidates its efforts in addressing the ongoing challenges of migration.
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