New York, USA: The Roosevelt Hotel, which has been closed since 2020, is now being used as temporary accommodation for undocumented immigrants under a three-year lease agreement with New York City.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican biotech entrepreneur, has sharply criticized New York City for leasing the Roosevelt Hotel, located in Manhattan and owned by the Pakistani government through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), for $220 million. The hotel is being used to house illegal migrants.

The Roosevelt Hotel, which shut down in 2020, is now operating as temporary housing for undocumented immigrants under a lease that is expected to last three years. The arrangement is expected to generate substantial revenue for the Pakistani government.

Ramaswamy voiced his concerns on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “A taxpayer-funded hotel for illegal migrants is owned by the Pakistani government, which means NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country.”

The issue gained further attention when author John LeFevre brought it to light on X, noting that the deal was part of a larger $1.1 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help Pakistan avoid defaulting on its foreign debt. LeFevre also pointed out the hotel’s past struggles, explaining, “Before this arrangement, the hotel had been closed since 2020, with low occupancy and in desperate need of renovations.”

Pakistan's Minister of Railways and Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, confirmed the agreement in July, stating that a lease for the hotel’s 1,250 rooms had been signed. He added that the hotel would return to Pakistani ownership once the lease concludes.

Rafique mentioned, “The lease agreement is expected to bring in about USD 220 million in revenue for the Pakistani government.”

The deal has sparked criticism, with figures like Ramaswamy questioning the use of taxpayer dollars and the involvement of a foreign government in such arrangements.