While some may be distracted by the media’s claim that President Joe Biden is suddenly experiencing a lot of wins, illegal aliens are still coming to the US in droves. The current administration’s apparent refusal to provide help where it’s needed – to the southern states along the border – has caused a verbal civil war among state leaders. The crisis has now moved further into the country, and local politicians are scrambling to find places to house all the migrants. However, New York’s plan to put the immigrants in a luxury hotel is raising eyebrows and causing consternation.
Luxury Hotels for Illegal Migrants
[substack align=”right”]Row NYC is a 28-story luxury hotel with 1,300 rooms, conveniently located smack dab in Times Square, a tourist favorite. It’s also just three blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which, consequently, is where the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has been sending them.
It has a red-carpet vibe, since a section of the sidewalk near the entrance is carpeted, and there is an internet lounge in the lobby that provides 30 free minutes of surfing on six iMac computers. On the third floor, guests can use the fitness center, complete with free weights, elliptical machines, and treadmills.
And what about the rooms? Well, the standard rooms have a “understated city chic” design, according to the website, with “graphic wall coverings and bold colors.” They also include 32-inch flat-screen LCD TVs and high-speed WiFi. Customers can get one full or queen bed for the price of $414.42 to $435.07 per night in mid-September, about the time the illegal migrants might be housed there.
Then there are the “superior” rooms for families equipped with two double beds or one queen, which boasts a design “inspired by the NYC subway system,” the site explains. The cost for these rooms is $445.40 to $547.41 per night.
And finally, there are the “executive suites,” one-bedroom accommodations with “stunning” views as well as “elevated décor for an undeniable notable experience” – all for the price of just $724.24 per night.
The hotel also has a restaurant, the District M Café, which includes live music Thursday through Saturday evenings for the hungry and restless, which makes one wonder if taxpayers will be footing the bill for some of this fine dining and entertainment, as well.
(Photo by PA Images via Getty Images
In the 1980s, the hotel was known as the Milford Plaza and was quite popular, advertising itself as Broadway’s “LULLABUY.” In 2010, it sold for about $200 million, and it reopened as Row NYC in 2014. It appears this luxury hotel is now set to become a housing place for illegals — at least for the time being.
A representative for Mayor Eric Adams told the New York Post that he plans to open Row NYC in a couple of months as an intake facility to provide shelter for as many as 600 migrant families. A hotel worker told the Post that they are working “on an agreement, a contract,” and that the facility will “be here at this hotel, but they’ll keep the DHS shelter on a certain floor.”
While this certainly isn’t the first time a hotel has been converted into a shelter, it seems to be the most extravagant example. Cities across the nation have been turning motels and other lodging facilities into housing communities for the homeless, refugees, and illegal migrants. Some of the local residents are fine with the arrangement, and the hotel was previously used as a shelter for the homeless during the pandemic, but many take issue with offering luxury rooms to illegals. David Carpenter, 74, a hotel guest visiting from Tennessee, told the Post: “I wouldn’t come back to this hotel if there were migrants staying here.” He added, “If they secured the border like they should, the migrants wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
