As hotels are being converted into immigrant housing in New York City during the summer, tourists there are faced with extraordinary lodging costs.
The typical cost for a hotel room in the area, based on 2023 information, is a report- breaking$ 301 per day, an 8.5 percent increase from 2022 fees. The city’s gross overcommitment to providing shelter to the influx of illegal immigrants flooding the city is largely attributable to this price increase.
A recent change to Gotham’s “right to shelter” rule allows adult illegal migrants under the age of 23 to stay up to 60 days in city- run shelters. Migrants were originally given 30 days of government-subsidized housing with the option to reapply for an extended stay.
The city pays hotels to host thousands of migrants, which leads to a shortage of lodging and exorbitant visitor costs. Due to this government-created scarcity, hotel prices skyrocketed, especially during the summer tourism boom, as fewer hotel rooms are available to accommodate guests. Hotels have been quick to eat up the city’s migrant housing subsidy money over the past few years, after the government’s Covid lockdowns reduced travel and dried up their source of income. Although hotel availability is not a problem, NYC tourism is back in full swing right now.
” We have been clear, from day one, that the’ Right to Shelter ‘ was never intended to apply to a population larger than most U.S. cities descending on the five boroughs in less than two years,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has led the nation in responding to a national humanitarian crisis by providing shelter and care to approximately 183, 000 new arrivals since the spring of 2022.
In order to identify and operate units for the City Sanctuary Facilities (‘Facilities’ ) programs that will be used to house asylum seekers, families and individuals in New York City, the NYC Department of Homeless Services sent out a memo in October 2022.
As of November, more than 16, 000 hotel rooms are reportedly being used to house migrants and other homeless people. That’s 140 hotels off the market for travelers. According to CoStar, the majority of the hotels fall under the category of “midscale or economy,” which is the kind of accommodations middle-class Americans might choose for their trip to the Big Apple. With fewer hotels available, demand and thus prices are inherently higher, and tourists are consequently forced to choose more expensive lodging options.
Sanctuary hotels also offer social freebies, according to the city’s Department of Homeless Services. Many hotels provide bilingual operational support services, including child care, job training, computer access, personal care items, and laundry service. Additionally, migrants can receive trauma or mental health counseling.
In other words, while many Americans struggle to make ends meet, illegal aliens are receiving “free” services at their “free” hotel shelters. The program resembles socialist-style government projects, with American taxpayers forced to spend their hard-earned money for the benefit of unwelcome border crossings.
According to The New York Times, NYC signed a$ 980 million contract for its” Sanctuary Hotel Program” —” which runs until Aug. 31 and is likely to be renewed”.
Kamden Mulder is a summer intern at The Federalist. She is a senior at Hillsdale College studying American Studies and Journalism.
