Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican and co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), has slammed New York City’s $220 million deal with a Pakistan-owned hotel to house illegal migrants. According to reports, the city has been leasing the 1,250-room Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan from the Pakistani government for three years, generating significant revenue for Pakistan.
Ramaswamy has described the deal as “nuts,” arguing that taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegal immigrants in the United States. He claims this is a misuse of taxpayer funds and a breach of national sovereignty.
The co-lead of DOGE said in an X pos: “A taxpayer-funded hotel for illegal migrants is owned by the Pakistani government which means NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country. This is nuts.”
Ramaswamy’s outburst was a reply to a post by author John LeFevre, who stated that the NYC renting out the entire Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, Pakistan, was part of a $ 1.1 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package to help Islamabad avoid defaulting on international debt.
Author John LeFevre posted on X: “The city of New York pays $220 million to rent the entire Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan to house illegal migrants. The hotel is owned by the government of Pakistan, and the deal was part of a $1.1 billion IMF bailout package to help Pakistan avoid defaulting on their international debt. Prior to this sweetheart deal, the hotel had been closed since 2020, having long-struggled with occupancy and in dire need of renovation.”
The Roosevelt Hotel, a once iconic landmark in the center of Manhattan, had long struggled with occupancy and needed renovations before the deal. The decision to rent it out for migrant accommodation comes amid an ongoing migrant crisis in the United States, with towns wrestling with how to accommodate the swelling number of people seeking asylum.
The Roosevelt Hotel, previously shuttered since 2020, is owned by Pakistan International Airlines, a Pakistani government-owned airline. In 2023, the Pakistan government leased the Roosevelt Hotel to the New York City Administration for three years in exchange for USD 220 million, according to a report by Dawn.
In a recent announcement, US President-elect Donald Trump revealed that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and ‘X,’ alongside Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Ramaswamy as co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency, Ramaswamy, along with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has been tasked by President-elect Donald Trump to improve government efficiency and eliminate wasteful expenditure.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s criticism of NYC’s $220 million deal with a Pakistan-owned hotel to house migrants underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in government spending. As a champion of fiscal responsibility and national sovereignty, Ramaswamy’s voice adds to the growing chorus of concerns surrounding this controversial agreement.
