Squeezed together tightly on the sidewalk outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, dozens of asylum seekers have waited for hours — and some for several days — to be processed at the migrant arrival center inside and be placed in a shelter.

“In the street, sleeping on the street,” said one migrant, who did not want to be identified. On Monday night, he said he had been waiting in line for two days outside of the hotel. 

Since late last week, migrants have either slept on the sidewalk or on buses outside of the asylum seeker arrival center.

What You Need To Know

  • Dozens of asylum seekers have waited for hours — and some for several days — to be processed at the migrant arrival center inside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. Since late last week, migrants have either slept on the sidewalk or on buses outside

  • The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless announced Monday they will file a lawsuit if migrants are not helped into shelters in a more timely fashion

  • So far, more than 93,000 asylum seekers have been processed through intake in New York City, and 53,000 remain in the city’s care, according to officials. City officials said hundreds continue to arrive daily

“It’s not going to get any better. From this moment on, it’s downhill. There is no more room,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday.

The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless announced Monday they will file a lawsuit if migrants are not helped into shelters in a more timely fashion.

“They have a legal obligation to accept an application from everyone who is coming to them and saying, ‘I need help right now.' They can't get out of right-to-shelter," said Joshua Goldfein, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society.

On Monday night, MTA buses arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel with people who had previously been placed in a shelter. The city had been shifting people around in the hopes of fitting more.

“The single adults, we put them in congregate settings so we can make sure that children and families have more space,” Adams' press secretary Fabien Levy said.

So far, more than 93,000 asylum seekers have been processed through intake in New York City, and 53,000 remain in the city’s care, according to officials. City officials said hundreds continue to arrive daily.

Both city officials and advocates echoed their calls Monday for additional assistance from the government.

“The city has a lot of tools available to it right now to enable people to move out of shelter and create space for people who are waiting on the sidewalk. But the state has obligations here to live up to its responsibilities,” Goldfein said.

The city has opened nearly 200 sites to place migrants so far.  

Two large-scale humanitarian relief centers are expected to open in the coming weeks at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens and at Hall Street in Brooklyn.