“Now, thanks to the sound policy decisions of our team, we are able to announce the closure of this site and help even more asylum-seekers take the next steps in their journeys as they envision an even brighter future, while simultaneously saving taxpayers millions of dollars,” Adams said in a statement.

Since May 2023, the Roosevelt Hotel, which shut down during the pandemic, has processed nearly 173,000 migrants. Since the spring of 2022, New York City has taken in nearly 232,000 migrants. 

During the height of the crisis under the Biden administration, the city received an average of 4,000 arrivals each week, but according to Adams, the number has fallen to 350. 

Border Patrol agents saw a 60% decrease in encounters with immigrants between ports of entry along the southern border from May 2024 to December 2024. Then-President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on securing the southern border in June of the same year.

Due to decreased migrant crossings, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced in late August that Texas had stopped busing migrants for two months. 

In Trump’s first week of office, he signed an executive order halting migrants from seeking asylum at the southern border. 

The New York City mayor’s office said the city plans to close 53 emergency shelters by June. Fewer than 45,000 migrants are in the city’s care, but Mayor’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations Executive Director Molly Schaeffer said the shelter shutdowns would not affect the city’s ability to tend to the asylum-seekers.

“Our work on this humanitarian relief center is far from over, and our teams and community partners remain committed to serving everyone who comes into our care; but today’s announcement is a testament to the tremendous work that has been done to date as we remain steadfastly focused on our mission,” Schaeffer said in a statement. 

TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Meanwhile, Adams filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Friday for rescinding $80 million in federal funding earmarked for taking care of asylum-seekers. 

“The $80 million that FEMA approved, paid, and then rescinded — after the city spent more than $7 billion in the last three years — is the bare minimum our taxpayers deserve,” Adams said in a statement on Friday, referring to the billions the city has spent on the migrant influx. “And that’s why we’re going to work to ensure our city’s residents get every dollar they are owed.”