Large migrant shelter in a blue city opens despite strong backlash from local residents

A massive 2,200 male-only migrant shelter has opened in the Bronx despite residents venting their opposition to the move and as the city announces the closures of other migrant shelters throughout New York City, including the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan.

The new facility, a 275,000-square-foot former warehouse, began accepting migrants on Saturday, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital.

The opening of the facility, located at 825 E. 141st St., and the prospect of such a large influx of migrant men being housed in the community sparked furious scenes at a Bronx community board meeting last month where residents also said that they were never consulted on the decision.

Furious Bronx residents expressed their anger at a community board meeting last month after learning they were powerless to stop the massive 2,200 male-only migrant shelter from opening in their neighborhood. (Fox 5 NY)

Adams also announced on Monday that the massive Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in Manhattan will shut down in the next few months, “saving taxpayers millions of dollars.” 

A New York Post source told the outlet that the closure is expected to happen by June.

The Roosevelt Hotel, which has around 1,000 rooms, has processed more than 173,000 migrants since its opening in May 2023 and has become a focal point of the city’s migrant crisis over the last two years, since it was the first stop for many border crossers. 

“Thanks to the sound policy decisions of our team, we are able to announce the closure of this site and help even more asylum seekers take the next steps in their journeys as they envision an even brighter future, while simultaneously saving taxpayers millions of dollars,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, the Bronx facility was renovated in 2017 and is currently owned by SoBro Local Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to “enhance the quality of life in the South Bronx by strengthening businesses and creating and implementing innovative economic, housing, educational, and career development programs for youth and adults.”

The non-profit’s website states that it manages more than 450 affordable and special-needs housing units in the Bronx and Harlem.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that more than 232,000 migrants have arrived in the city since 2022.  (Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Diana Ayala, a Democratic councilwoman who represents parts of the Bronx and Manhattan, including where the shelter is set to open, said at last month’s community board meeting that she recommended the new Bruckner Boulevard site, as well as other locations in the Bronx.

She said the migrants have a right to shelter and the city is legally obligated to house the migrants.

“They can’t leave them out on the street, they can’t let them sleep on the street, unless they want to. They have to put them somewhere,” said Ayala, who praised the Adams administration’s handling of the crisis.

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.