(IntegrityPress.org) – Tourists are finding themselves increasingly priced out of visiting New York City due to the so-called “Sanctuary City” policies that have resulted in large numbers of hotel rooms booked out to illegal immigrants. Under Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, the Big Apple currently has an estimated 65,000 migrants living in 16,500 hotel rooms funded by taxpayer money. This leaves approximately 122,000 rooms for tourists.
The fees for these migrant rooms can be up to $185 per room each night, regardless of whether or not they are actually occupied, making it a lucrative offer for some of the largest hotels in the city. Out of the city’s 680 hotels, around 135 are known to have signed up for the migrant room scheme. The scheme, known as the “Sanctuary Hotel Program”, began in 2022 with the creation of a $980 million contract between the city and a hotel trade group. Of the 135 who signed up, not one of them has since exited the scheme.
By 2023, the average hotel room rate had increased by 8.5% compared to the year prior, jumping from $277.92 to $301.61. Even during the traditionally slower months of the year, prices remain higher than usual. In the first quart of 2024, prices were 6.7% higher than the same time the previous year. As well as hotel room supply being slashed by the “Sanctuary Hotel Program”, the number of Air B’n’B properties available to rent has also been cut due to recent city policy. In September 2023, policies designed to curtail the growth of the short-term rental industry in New York took effect. Between August 2023 and March 2024, the number of such properties dropped by 83%.
It would appear that city officials are now trying to find ways to encourage migrants out of their subsidized hotel rooms in an effort to reduce costs and free up space. Most migrants now have a month to move out of their hotel room, unless they have special permission to stay longer. Migrants aged 18-23 have 60 days to find a room of their own unless they successfully apply for an extension due to extenuating circumstances.
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