NYC converts boutique hotel into emergency shelter for illegal migrants

Another boutique hotel in a trendy New York City neighborhood has been quietly transformed into an emergency shelter for illegal migrants, according to a recent report from the New York Post.

Hotel Le Jolie, a 55-room hotel in Williamsburg, began housing illegal aliens sometime last year, the outlet noted. While the shelter conversion is said to be temporary, the hotel still has not appeared to resume normal operations.

Hotel staff told the Post that no rooms are currently available to travelers because the property is undergoing "renovations." The establishment has not responded to online customer reviews and questions since April last year.

The Post reported that New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) recently awarded a $12.3 million emergency contract to not-for-profit organization St. P.A.U.L.S. Inc. to manage a "city sanctuary facility for families with children." The contract, issued by the Department of Homeless Services, was awarded to the address of Hotel Le Jolie.

A source told the news outlet that the not-for-profit is slated to "take over the operation" but noted that "nothing functionally changes."

Temporary staff hired by the Department of Homeless Services is currently managing the site, but the agency aims to transfer this management to St. P.A.U.L.S. Inc.

A Department of Homeless Services spokesperson stated that Hotel Le Jolie "is not a new site" and that it "has been open for quite some time," the Post reported.

Adams' office has converted more than 100 hotels in the New York City area into emergency shelters to house illegal migrants. He agreed to a $76.69 million emergency contract with the Hotel Association of New York City in January. The contract aims to provide "last resort" housing to illegal migrants with children. The agreement impacts 15 hotels in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

Since spring of 2022, approximately 200,000 illegal aliens have arrived in New York City, overwhelming the city's homeless shelter system.

Recent data from City Hill revealed that the city is spending, on average, $387 per day to house each illegal migrant household. Adams' administration estimates the crisis will cost the city $10 billion through the next fiscal year.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office told the Post in March, "In the last two months, Mayor Adams has laid out plans to save billions of taxpayer dollars as New York City manages a national humanitarian crisis, and the numbers show that our efforts are working."

The representative noted that the administration forecasts that it will "save $2.3 billion by next summer."

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