The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas as part of a criminal investigation into two New York City hotels that have been housing illegal immigrants. The Roosevelt Hotel and the Stewart Hotel are under scrutiny as prosecutors examine the legality of their operations and funding sources.
The Roosevelt Hotel, which has served as a migrant processing center since 2023, has reportedly handled more than 170,000 border crossers. The Stewart Hotel has been used exclusively to shelter illegal immigrants. A third facility, the Hotel Chandler, has also received a subpoena, though it is being used as a homeless shelter rather than a migrant facility.
JUST IN: The DOJ is investigating the New York City hotels which were turned into migrant shelters. Billions of your tax dollars went towards housing criminal illegal aliens in luxury hotels pic.twitter.com/utl8ILdjWb
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 13, 2025
The subpoenas, issued by the Southern District of New York, seek records on individuals who have stayed at these hotels, along with financial documents detailing how the shelters were funded. Authorities are investigating possible violations of federal immigration law and mismanagement of resources.
New York City has spent billions on migrant housing since 2022, as more than 232,000 border crossers have arrived in the city. At its peak, the city was sheltering nearly 69,000 illegal immigrants. That number has since dropped to approximately 45,000.
The Roosevelt Hotel’s financial arrangement has drawn particular scrutiny. The city reportedly agreed to pay up to $220 million to use the hotel, which is owned by Pakistan’s government. The financial arrangement was allegedly tied to an International Monetary Fund bailout package intended to prevent Pakistan from defaulting on its debt.
Mayor Eric Adams has remained silent on the Justice Department’s probe but has announced that the Roosevelt Hotel will soon close. His administration has also confirmed that 53 migrant shelters will shut down by June as part of a restructuring effort.
The investigation comes after revelations that FEMA allocated $59 million to house illegal immigrants in high-end New York City hotels — contradicting previous statements from the Biden administration that such funding was not being used for migrant accommodations.
