Migrant hotel in New York City to shut down, concluding the 'emergency shelter' program's duration.
New York City, August 2025 - The Row NYC hotel in Midtown, which has served as temporary housing for immigrants since October 2022, is set to shut down by April 2026. However, the specific plans for the relocation of the immigrants currently residing there after the hotel’s operations wind down have not been explicitly detailed.
The hotel provided 1,331 rooms as shelter to migrants during a period when New York City faced a surge in arrivals, straining municipal housing and support systems. The closure follows nearly four years of operation as a shelter, reflecting a phase where city officials appear to be transitioning from emergency sheltering in hotels to different housing strategies.
City and federal authorities have acknowledged their challenges in housing and integrating new arrivals. Calls for increased federal support and faster employment authorization for migrants to reduce dependence on emergency shelter systems have been made, but concrete relocation solutions specific to the Row NYC hotel residents have not been publicly detailed as of now.
In the past, migrants have found their own housing, moved into the city's regular homeless shelter operations, or left town. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has achieved significant progress in managing the migrant crisis, has helped more than 200,000 migrants leave the city's shelter system and take the next step toward self-sufficiency.
It is unclear where the immigrants currently at the Row will go when the program ends in April 2026. The Roosevelt Hotel, another popular spot for housing migrants, was repurposed by the city in 2023. Interestingly, there is no information about where American citizens are living in relation to the housing of migrants in luxury hotels.
Charles Creitz, a reporter for our website, Digital, covers media, politics, and culture. He is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. If you have a story tip, you can send it to [email protected].
The migrant population in New York City's care is declining, and 64 emergency migrant sites, including all tent-based facilities, have been closed. The city has expended resources for a total of 65,000 travel tickets to other cities to save city taxpayers in the long run.
As the Row NYC hotel prepares to close, the focus shifts to the future of these migrants and the city's ongoing efforts to manage the migrant crisis. New York City Mayor Eric Adams remains a candidate for re-election in the November race. The situation remains part of broader ongoing challenges faced by New York City and federal agencies in managing migrant housing and integration.
[1] Source: New York City Department of Social Services [3] Source: The New York Times
- The closure of the Row NYC hotel in April 2026 raises concerns about the future housing arrangements for the immigrants currently residing there, as city officials transition from emergency sheltering in hotels to different housing strategies.
- As the ongoing migrant crisis continues to challenge New York City and federal agencies, the election of Mayor Eric Adams for a second term could signal a commitment to finding long-term solutions for migrant housing and integration.
