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FACT BRIEF

Are undocumented immigrants housed at the most expensive hotels in New York City?

By Ava Menkes
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NO

While a few upscale hotels such as the Roosevelt have been converted to shelter migrants, the majority are housed in more affordable establishments, and none in five-star hotels.

Eric Trump said in a speech at the Republican National Convention, "illegal immigrants are housed in the most expensive hotels in New York," but Sean Hennessey, a hotel industry advisor, told the New York Times it is primarily two-star hotels that are housing undocumented migrants.

New York City entered into a contract of up to $980 million with a hotel trade group to pay hotels that decide to shelter migrants under its "Sanctuary Hotel Program."

Most of those hotels were deep in debt, facing foreclosure or had received poor reviews from guests. About half were brand names including Courtyard, Holiday Inn Express, SpringHill Suites and Super 8.

The city contract requires hotels hosting migrants to pick up trash, housekeep every other day and provide fresh towels.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
New York Times Why N.Y.C. Hotel Rooms Are So Expensive Right Now
Bloomberg NYC Pays Over $300 a Night for Budget Hotel Rooms for Migrants
New York Times Inside the Manhattan Hotel That Is the New Ellis Island
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.