NYC Taxpayers On the Hook for Hosting Illegal Aliens at $365 Per Day at Hotels & Inns

NYC Taxpayers On the Hook for Hosting Illegal Aliens at $365 Per Day at Hotels & Inns

By: Donny Simcha Guttman

In a recent revelation from internal NYC documents reported by the NY Post, it has been revealed that of the 193 housing units that currently host illegal aliens, 80% of them are being filled up by hotels, motels, and inns. Estimates on the daily expenses of hosting illegal aliens in one room in such lodging spaces, range from $160 to $365 per day. This is on top of Mayor Adams program of giving illegal aliens credit cards to spend money on basic necessities on a daily basis.

Since the illegal alien crisis began in NYC two years ago, the city, a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, has spent close to $5 billion on the crisis. Of that $5 billion, close to $2 billion has been used to house illegals, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Under the city sanctuary law, and the “right for shelter” law, the city is obligated to provide housing to anyone that requests it. As a result of the major influx of illegals in recent years, the city has been forced to negotiate contracts with hotels, inns, and other housing complexes.

One such controversial deal is a $5.13 million-a-month contract for housing at Row NYC Hotel and the Health and Hospitals agency; furthermore, the Crowne Plaza recently landed a $2 million monthly deal for housing illegals all on the taxpayer’s dime. William Shandler, a manager of a bar that is opposite the Row hotel, said to the Post on the city’s housing contract, “Our taxes are being used to pay for the migrants, and where are we supposed to make revenue? How as a business could we function?”

As a result of illegal aliens taking up space in such hotels, local businesses including bars such as Mr. Shandler’s have been negatively affected by the decrease of tourists and citizens renting rooms in nearby hotels. Local politicians, including Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), have also complained about the economic toll facing the city that the hotels are supposed to be “not for sheltering the masses of people pouring over our borders every day. These locations were meant to boost the economy of this city, but instead, they’ve become a net drain and are costing us enormously.”

The Post has also reported on a deal that the city has made with the Hotel Association of NYC for further rental fees to host illegals. The original contract the city made was priced at $275 million, now it is $1.3 billion. These financial setbacks for the city are part of a recent trend of fiscal irresponsibility that has become common among recent NYC leaders.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other high-spending activity, it has been reported by the NYC Comptroller’s office that by 2026, the city could have a $10 billion deficit. This year, NYC Mayor Adams and the City Council approved a budget to help offset such deficits, including a $153 million cut to former mayor Bill De Blasio’s free early school program, furthermore, the budget has cut spending for the NYPD, in a controversial move.

The city’s crisis with illegal aliens seems to only be getting worse, and with it, the impending economic doom approaching the city. The upcoming 2025 mayoral election will predictably focus on the city’s finances. Mayor Adams is running for re-election, but in recent months, rumors of Democrats challenging the mayor have taken off, including from Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive, who has had a rocky relationship with the mayor since 2023.