Hotels Crowded with Refugees, Stores Locked Up... New York Occupied by Immigrants [Report]

Manhattan Landmark Roosevelt Hotel,
Serving as Refugee Shelter Since COVID Closure
160,000 Arrivals in New York Over Past 1 Year 9 Months
Overflow of Refugees and Homeless Leading to Slum Areas
New York Citizens Increasingly Dissatisfied with Lenient Immigration Policies
Major Issue in November Presidential Election

A homeless person sleeping on the street on the 18th (local time). New York - Photo by Kwon Haeyoung

At 11 a.m. on the 24th near Times Square in Manhattan, New York, men who appeared to be immigrants from Africa were continuously selling headsets to tourists. In recent years, as the number of immigrants entering New York has surged, immigrants engaging in solicitation targeting tourists have flooded the streets of Manhattan.

Also, on the 18th, at the Roosevelt Hotel located on East 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, a man and woman who appeared to be a couple were lingering at the hotel entrance carrying lots of luggage in both hands along with two young children. Amid the biting wind blowing through the Manhattan skyscrapers, their tense expressions clearly showed they were immigrants from Latin America. When asked which country they came from, the man said, "El Salvador." After waiting for a moment, he repeatedly called out "Migrant! Migrant!" to the staff guarding the hotel entrance before entering the building with his family.

Opened in 1924 and once a Manhattan landmark, the Roosevelt Hotel has now become a symbolic place encapsulating the biggest issue of the U.S. presidential election: illegal immigration. It also reflects the struggles New York faces due to the influx of refugees. The hotel was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and closed down. Later, it was transformed into one of New York’s main refugee shelters but has become overcrowded due to the overwhelming number of immigrants. The hotel room windows were all covered with curtains as if to hide the shelter’s situation filled with refugees.

The bar "Vander Bar" located at the corner of the same building was also converted into an office for the refugee shelter. Through the bar’s windows, people who appeared to be refugees could be seen. When the reporter lingered outside the bar, a soldier came out and said, "This is where paperwork for immigrants is done," adding, "Immigrants flood in, so it’s open even on holidays." When asked if filming inside the hotel was allowed, the answer was "No." The reporter was not the only one visiting the Roosevelt Hotel on Sunday. Two foreigners passing by said, "We are also German reporters," and "We came to cover the biggest issue of the U.S. presidential election, illegal immigration."

Migrants are sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, New York. Photo by New York Daily News

New York, once known as the "immigrant’s paradise," is turning into a "refugee hell." According to a 1981 court ruling, New York City is the only city in the U.S. that provides free shelters to refugees. As a result, immigrants crossing the southern U.S. border from Latin America and Africa are flocking to New York. From spring 2022 to the end of 2023, over a period of about a year and a half, more than 156,000 immigrants?equivalent to 2% of the city’s population (8.1 million)?have arrived. Among them, 60,000 are staying in more than 200 refugee shelters. As asylum applications surged and shelter capacity reached its limit, New York City began enforcing forced eviction measures in October last year. Single adults must leave shelters after 30 days, and adults with children after 60 days. Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency, saying, "The refugee issue will destroy New York City." According to the city, the number of refugees is expected to double by 2025, and the cost of accommodating refugees over the next three years is estimated to reach $12 billion (about 16 trillion won).

New York City continues its "pouring water into a bottomless jar" style refugee support. Recently, it has even provided prepaid cards that can be used like cash to refugees, in addition to food and lodging support. This cash-like support was introduced after complaints arose that the free meal menus did not suit refugees’ tastes, allowing them to purchase food ingredients directly. The city explained this as a measure to reduce food waste, but taxpayer dissatisfaction is growing. Currently, New York City provides free meals worth $11 (about 14,700 won) per meal to refugees through a company called Dakgo, but $39,000 (about 52 million won) worth of meals are wasted daily.

Recently, the overflowing number of refugees and homeless people has led to slumification across the city and increased concerns among citizens about immigrant-related crimes. A Korean resident in New York, Jeong, said, "I’m angry that my taxes are used to feed and house illegal immigrants, and on top of that, public safety is deteriorating," adding, "I don’t understand why New York has become like this." With the rise in livelihood-related crimes, retail stores including CVS, a U.S. pharmacy and convenience store chain, have started locking up product displays in their Manhattan stores.

On the morning of the 18th (local time), Latin American migrants are entering the Roosevelt Hotel refugee shelter located at East 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, New York. New York ? Photo by Kwon Haeyoung

The situation in New York, paralyzed by the influx of refugees, does not seem likely to improve easily. Areas governed by Republican governors who take a hard line on illegal immigration, such as Florida and Texas, are putting refugees on buses and sending them to New York. The idea is that Democratic-leaning areas with more lenient immigration policies should take responsibility for the refugees. New York, which has valued cultural diversity and tolerance, is now on the brink of social and political conflict caused by the refugee issue.

Even New York, a Democratic stronghold, is gradually "shifting right." The recent special election for a congressional seat in Long Island, New York, was won by Tom Suozzi, a Democratic candidate. Although he belongs to the Democratic Party, he is a centrist pragmatist who shares views with Republicans on illegal immigration. Representative Suozzi plans to discuss with Republicans to strengthen illegal immigration controls. Analysts interpret this election result as reflecting the political shift of New York citizens who support the Democratic Party but have become tougher on immigration issues.

The refugee issue has rapidly emerged as the biggest issue for Americans in the November presidential election. Former President Donald Trump, who pushed for building a southern border wall during his term to block illegal immigration, pledged immediate deportation of illegal immigrants if re-elected. As public opinion worsened, the Biden administration also revised its stance completely. Abandoning its previous lenient immigration policy, it requested Congress last month to strengthen the president’s authority to close the border. In swing states that will decide the presidential election, illegal immigration is becoming an even more sensitive issue. According to a Bloomberg survey at the end of last month, 13% of voters in swing states cited immigration as the most urgent issue, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey (10%).