Orange County hotels have been cleared of all illegal immigrants under New York City’s care, as stated in a court
filing dated Dec. 9.
A city lawyer confirmed in a letter to state Supreme Court Judge Sandra Sciortino that as of Dec. 6, there were no illegal immigrants residing in any hotels in Orange County. The lawyer also mentioned that the city has ended its temporary housing operation in the county.
In mid-September, around
90 illegal immigrants were still housed in Ramada and Crossroads hotels in Newburgh as part of a city-sponsored shelter program.
This development in Orange County is part of Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to close
25 more shelters by March, as the number of illegal immigrants under the city’s care continues to decrease.
The Mayor’s Office reports that the number of illegal immigrants in the shelter system has been decreasing over the past five months and is now at its lowest point in a year and a half.
In May 2023, New York City partnered with two Newburgh hotels and others upstate due to a surge in arrivals of illegal immigrants, with over 60,000 reaching the city in one year. More than 37,500 of them were under the city’s care. Shortly after, the county filed a lawsuit against the city and hotels and obtained a temporary ban on the hotel-shelter practice.
Prior to the court ban, the city had sent
186 people to Orange County hotels.
In August, New York state allocated
$250 million to New York City for sheltering and providing services to illegal immigrants. The state also set aside $25 million to relocate approximately 4,400 willing illegal immigrants, who had applied for asylum, to rental apartments in five counties north of the city.
Over the past two years, the city has assisted over
170,000 illegal immigrants in transitioning out of temporary shelters by helping with work authorization applications, providing transportation to desired destinations, and offering other programs, according to the Mayor’s Office.
An audit by the city comptroller’s office revealed that the city had overpaid its main contractor and subcontractors by millions of dollars for sheltering illegal immigrants in May and June 2023.
The city responded to the audit in August 2024, stating that many overpayments were justified, such as purchasing food and hotel rooms in anticipation of a sudden influx.
