The Department of Justice has set its investigative sights on New York City's approach to sheltering the homeless and migrants, issuing subpoenas for details on those who've found refuge in select hotels-turned-shelters. According to CBS News New York, the DOJ is digging into records from the Roosevelt Hotel, which has doubled as an intake center for migrants, the Stewart Hotel, also serving migrants, and the former Hotel Chandler, a non-migrant homeless shelter since 2017. Sources close to the investigation disclosed that the subpoenas, directed at the buildings, request personal data such as names and birth dates of individuals sheltered there.
While City Hall itself has reportedly not been subpoenaed, a City Hall spokesperson conveyed to CBS News New York that they are unable to offer comments on federal investigations. This unfolds as Mayor Eric Adams was questioned last week by the House Oversight Committee on sanctuary city policies and his alleged negotiations with the prior Trump administration. Adams firmly stated, "There's no deal, no quid pro quo, and I did nothing wrong," in response to inquiries about a supposed arrangement to aid the president's immigration agenda in exchange for case dismissal against him.
In corresponding news, a spokesperson for the DOJ confirmed with NBC New York that the department will not comment on an active probe. However, a legal expert interviewed by NBC New York speculates that the federal harboring statute, which criminalizes the concealment of undocumented persons in the U.S., might underpin the subpoenas. This statute could hold sway over city officials if alleged law violations occurred.
Parallel to the DOJ's actions, Attorney General Pam Bondi has pressed a civil lawsuit against New York State concerning its 'green light law,' which empowers undocumented individuals to obtain driver's licenses and limits federal ICE officers from accessing DMV records sans a subpoena. Tom Homan, the Trump administration's border czar, following a meeting with Republican Leaders in Albany, has publicly warned New York State that it might face an increased number of ICE agents if it doesn't bend to immigration enforcement strategies. "Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want — more agents in the community," Homan, presenting the state with a stark choice, told NBC New York.
