Targeting of 3 NYC migrant shelters by the Department of Justice creates some confusion
The Trump administration has opened a new front in its deportation efforts. Federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas to three New York City migrant shelters, seeking the names and other personal data of people who lived there.
However, the reason one of the hotels was targeted remains unclear.
"They don't tell us anything"
Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday he knows nothing and Gov. Kathy Hochul is vowing not to cooperate with this new probe, which comes as Trump "border czar" Tom Homan has made no bones about his frustration that New York's sanctuary city status is making it more difficult for his agents to do their job.
"I don't know. You have to speak to the Southern District about their review on immigration. They're not ... They don't tell us anything," Adams said.
The shelters in question were the Roosevelt Hotel, which served as an intake center for thousands of migrants for two years, the Stewart Hotel and the Hotel Chandler.
"Is there any way you could protect these migrants from the intrusion of the federal investigation where they're trying to find out their names, their birthdays, their private information? Is there any way the city can help them?" CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer asked the mayor.
"No one shared that question with us. No one shared us any information. We're going to keep doing what we've done," Adams responded.
The targeting of the shelters should make for a lively discussion when Gov. Kathy Hochul meets with President Trump in the White House on Friday morning. Mr. Trump said he wants to talk to Hochul about getting her stamp of approval on a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run through New York, after it was blocked in 2020 over water permits.
However, migrants and congestion pricing are sure to come as well.
Hochul, who was attacked verbally by Homan on Wednesday while he was in Albany, said she's not going to cooperate with the federal probe.
"We're going to continue to stand up. It is a federal law enforcement operation, but we will not be cooperating in terms of state police, not assisting unless they have a warrant for someone's arrest or proof that this person is a dangerous individual. People can say what they want, but I know what sanctuary means in this state," Hochul said.
There is confusion over 1 of the hotels targeted
The subpoenas also seek information about the contracts the city entered into with the hotels, but it remains unclear why the former Hotel Chandler is on the list. It has been a homeless shelter since 2017. Sources told Kramer that of the 170 people living there, there are only two migrant families.
A source familiar with the shelter system pointed out that another hotel with a similar name, The Candler, is in fact a migrant hotel.
Asked about the situation with the Chandler and the Candler, a spokesman for the Department of Justice said, "We will decline to comment on an ongoing investigation."
