High-end hotel turned into shelter for illegal immigrants in NYC’s Williamsburg

Hotel Le Jolie, which is nestled next to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway four blocks south of McCarren Park in Williamsburg, was transformed into a shelter last May, and is expected to remain as such until at least the end of the year. It is described as a boutique hotel location by Tripadvisor.

According to the New York Post, Mayor Eric Adams' administration recently awarded a $12.3 million contract to Brooklyn-based non-profit St. P.A.U.L.S. Inc to operate a "sanctuary city facility for families with children" at 235 Meeker Avenue, Hotel Le Jolie's address.

A source familiar with the matter said the Department of Homeland Security had been relying on a temporary team of staff members to oversee the operation, and expected St. P.A.U.L.S. Inc to raise the quality of services provided to residents.

Those who try to book a room at the hotel via sites such as Expedia are met with a message informing them that, "This property is closed from May 2 2023 to December 31 2024.” The statement is under the “Renovations and closures” section.

Prior to shutting its doors to tourists, the hotel received generally positive reviews, with only a few unhappy customers.

It is just one of the many accommodations typically reserved for out-of-town visitors that have been repurposed to deal with an unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants arriving in the city.

Tens of millions of dollars have been spent housing migrants and their families in the hotels, and many have become havens for drugs, alcohol, and violent behavior.

In an interview with Turning Point USA's Savanah Hernandez, a whistleblower who worked at the largest hotel-turned-shelter in the city a block away from Times Square revealed that residents were wreaking havoc on the surrounding area.

"I've been doing this for five years, and in my five years, this has been the worst experience by far," Carlos Arrellano said. "The city of New York does not know what they're doing, and it's only going to get worse from here."