Over the July 4h holiday, New York City ended the free bus service for migrants arriving at the Port Authority Terminal in Manhattan. Now, they’ll have to trek about a mile to the Roosevelt Hotel welcome center crosstown.
The free bus reversal was first reported by Gothamist Sunday.
Members of the National Guard are now tasked with handing out fliers that show the newcomers how to walk across Midtown Manhattan, even if they arrive at night.
Officials confirmed the move was to cut costs, even as the city spends almost $8 million a day to care for the current total of 52,600 asylum seekers.
“With hundreds of asylum seekers continuing to arrive daily (not just through the PABT), we need the limited number of MTA buses that have been provided by the state to transport asylum seekers from the Arrival Center to their placements,” a City Hall spokesperson said.
Over 84,100 asylum seekers had been welcomed to the five boroughs since last spring, according to the city.
