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New York Post
15 hours ago
- New York Post
NYC's notorious Roosevelt Hotel shelter will close next week as last migrant families relocate
The Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter is set to close Tuesday – three years after it opened and quickly became a symbol of the city's migrant crisis in the heart of Manhattan. There were fewer than 10 families of asylum seekers still in the former hotel as of Thursday, as the spot spent its final days as a migrant intake center in a very visible and highly trafficked area of midtown packed with tourists and commuters, The Post has learned. The historic hotel has been the first stop for many of more than 230,000 migrants that have come to the five boroughs since 2022. During the peak of the crisis, the shelter housed as many as 2,900 people on the taxpayers' dime, according to officials. Advertisement 5 The migrant shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan is set to close on Tuesday. Christopher Sadowski 5 People seen moving out of the Roosevelt Hotel on June 18, 2025. Christopher Sadowski Mayor Eric Adams first announced the closure of the notorious shelter back in February, when he stopped just short of proclaiming that the migrant crisis was over. Advertisement The Post observed around a dozen or more workers or shelter residents leaving the building this week. 'I imagine that they are cleaning and making repairs now to give the building back to the owner,' said one female asylum seeker from Venezuela, who asked not to use her name. She hadn't landed a new place to stay since she left the shelter last week, she said. 5 The hotel hosted 2,9000 migrants at the peak of the city's crisis. Brian Zak/NY Post Advertisement 5 People removing bags from the migrant shelter. Christopher Sadowski 'To be honest, the situation is complicated because they are closing most of the shelters. I sleep where the night takes me. Sometimes in the street. My fate is in God's hands,' she said. The shelter has been plagued with issues since it opened in May 2023 – with police sources saying the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua organized moped robbery crews from the hotel. Several shelter residents were arrested for a $5,300 shoplifting spree and a 12-year-old ringleader of a Central Park robbery crew was accused of taking part in the assault of two NYPD officers back in May. Advertisement 5 There are fewer than ten migrant families still in the hotel as of Thrusday. Christopher Sadowski 'Out of 100 men coming from Venezuela, 80 are bad and 20 are good,' one migrant outside the Roosevelt told The Post earlier this week. 'The problem is that the good people get screwed and pay the price for the bad people.' The Post previously reported that the hotel could sell for as much as $1 billion after migrants move out. A source told the Post that the property owner – the Pakistani government's Pakistan International Airlines – were considering replacing the over 100-year-old hotel with a new skyscraper. It is unclear whether the hotel will begin welcoming guests again.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Massive Fort Worth crime crackdown leads to 76 arrests, seizure of hundreds of guns and drugs
Dozens of alleged criminals, hundreds of illegal firearms, and a massive amount of narcotics are off the streets of Tarrant County after a major two-month law enforcement operation aimed at reducing violent crime. Local, state and federal agencies announced the results of "Operation Showdown" during a news conference Tuesday, calling it one of the largest enforcement initiatives in recent Fort Worth history. The operation led to the arrest of 76 individuals on firearm crimes, 56 of whom are also facing federal drug charges for trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl. "Our intention was to reduce violent crime in Fort Worth, Texas," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson for the Northern District of Texas. "And we did it together." Larson added that many of those arrested were convicted violent felons. "Others are in our country illegally and have suspected ties to the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, also known as TDA," she said. In total, agents seized 287 firearms, including 147 machine gun conversion devices that can turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones. According to Bennie Mims, special agent in charge of the ATF Dallas Field Division, one of the guns had been used in a shooting just three hours before it was recovered. Three other firearms were tied to homicides, and 22 had previously been reported stolen. In addition to the weapons, law enforcement recovered more than 22 kilograms of narcotics, including enough fentanyl for an estimated 240,000 potentially deadly doses. "With the amount of contraband seized here, it's very apparent that there are some neighborhoods where parents can freely let their kids maybe have an afternoon play day out in that front yard or in that apartment complex parking lot without fear that a drug transaction is transpiring just a few parking stalls away," said Eduardo Chavez, special agent in charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said the arrests send a strong message. "If you choose to poison our streets, you will be met with the full force of the law," he said. "No exceptions, no excuses." Law enforcement officials say they conducted more than 200 operations throughout April and May, including undercover gun and drug purchases. They believe the crackdown will have a lasting impact. "And I can assure you, if you look at this table, you look at the criminal histories of these people, you look at the guns and drugs pretty clearly here on this table — there are people that will be alive in the future because all these people did their jobs today," said Keith Brown, executive director of the Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The announcement comes just days after a violent weekend in Fort Worth, when five people were killed in four separate, unrelated shootings. Officials acknowledged Operation Showdown won't put an end to all violent crime but said it's a meaningful step in the right direction. "I can tell you that our communities are safer today than they were 60 days ago," said Interim Fort Worth Police Chief Robert Alldredge. "Yes, we did have a deadly weekend. It's very tragic. Many innocent people lost their lives. We have some great officers out in the field that are working tirelessly to make sure this doesn't happen. Granted, one loss of life is too many. But unfortunately, whenever those things happen, I can tell you the Fort Worth Police Department is dedicated to continue the work to prevent those from occurring in the future." The people arrested during Operation Showdown have all made their first appearances in court, according to Larson. Their trials will likely happen in late summer or early fall. Larson said the defendants who are in the country illegally will be turned over to ICE after they serve their sentences, if convicted. This operation was made possible through $300,000 in federal funds.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Suspected gang members terrorize Colorado apartment complex in shocking doorbell video
Chilling doorbell footage captures suspected gang members terrorizing an apartment complex in Colorado. Video from the Aurora Police Department shows a group of roughly nine individuals lurking outside of an apartment on June 9. Several of the suspects can be seen knocking at the door and aiming their guns. The residents did not open the door and the suspects eventually leave the premises. In a press conference Tuesday (17 June), Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the residents who lived in the targeted apartment had just moved in from Venezuela two days prior to the incident. According to Chamberlain, the apartment complex has been the site of repeated criminal activity, with numerous reports of shots fired. Four suspects have been arrested. Police believe the incident is linked to Venezuelan gang activity that is rampant in the Aurora area. However, while Chamberlain noted similarities to the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, he reportedly did not confirm that the group is connected.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Terrifying sign bloodthirsty migrant gang Tren de Aragua is expanding in the US after Colorado apartment raid
Migrant super gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) has taken over another apartment complex in a terrifying sign it is growing and recruiting across the country. The vicious criminal organization with deep ties to Venezuela is so dangerous Donald Trump has labelled its members terrorists. The White House has promised to eradicate the thugs, but they are fighting back by adding Americans to their ranks. This time, TdA, as the Venezuelan thugs are known, are adding to their numbers, recruiting Americans to join their ranks under the eye of the President Donald Trump, who promised to eradicate them while running for office last year. Nearly six months after the Republican was sworn into office, police in Aurora, Colorado came forward Monday to announce the South American mafia is up to its old tricks, but this time in a new place. June 9 video of at least four armed gangsters pounding on the doors of units in an attempt to collect bribe money or 'rent' from innocent victims was made public by the police chief. Under President Joe Biden, at least three apartment complexes were taken over by TdA in the Denver suburb. Last August, a viral video of TdA thugs storming a unit at the Edge of Lowry apartment made the gang a household name across the country. The Daily Mail exclusively reported that additional rentals had been taken over in Denver and in other parts of Colorado. Additionally, at least four properties fell under the control of TdA in San Antonio, Texas, as Daily Mail exclusively reported in September. In all the mob-controlled properties, the criminal Venezuelans extorted the mostly legal migrants who live in the units, demanding payment in exchange for safety. 'This might sound like deja vu,' Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a press conference Monday. 'This shows armed individuals threatening an apartment in an apartment complex here in the Aurora area. The scene is very reminiscent of the TdA (Tren de Aragua) gang takeover that occurred last year and gained national attention.' While Chief Chamberlain stopped short of confirming the criminals in the video are TdA, he added he was fairly certain that's who the gang bangers are linked to. 'When you look at that criminal history of the TdA, the way they acted, what they did, it's very consistent of what we see here,' he explained. The newest property to become overrun by Venezuelan criminals, Innovation at Fitz, has been having problems since late last year, with the danger escalating in February or March, the cops revealed. There have been 12 separate incidents at the apartment complex since August, including at least six shootings, two kidnappings were residents were forced into a unit against their will, and empty apartment units where Venezuelan squatters had taken over. 'You name it, there's been a lot of violence," apartment resident Terry Rhoades told local station Denver 7. Two of the 19 individuals arrested during the Oct. 19 raid at the Palatia Apartments in San Antonio where authorities say Tren de Aragua had been operating 'Matter of fact, it was just a couple of days ago where I heard gunshots and I see people running to the other complex over here.' One man had been charged in connection with the video, however eight other suspects are still on the run, police announced. Larry Galbreath, 23, has been charged with felony menacing with a firearm and violating a protection order. 'Larry actually mentioned that he was tattooed by one of the Venezuelan individuals that were inside one of the locations,' the chief revealed. Galbreath told police that the gangsters he was working with were usually high on Tussi, a combination of cocaine and ketamine that has been called the 'calling card of TdA.' Most of the victims are other Venezuelans, who the police chief described as sometimes reluctant to come forward.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Suspected Tren de Aragua gang members terrorize apartment complex in shocking doorbell video
An armed crew of nine suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members were caught on camera wreaking havoc at a Colorado apartment complex earlier this month, in an incident Aurora police are calling "very reminiscent" of the violence previously incited in the area by the Venezuelan gang. Doorbell video shows the group pointing guns and repeatedly knocking on an apartment door in a building near 6th Avenue and Potomac Street in Aurora, Colorado, on June 9, Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a press conference on Tuesday. "This might sound like déjà vu," Chamberlain said. "… We are addressing this actively, effectively and immediately." The people who lived in the apartment were also from Venezuela and had just moved in two days prior to the incident, Chamberlain noted, acknowledging that it's a good thing the residents did not open the door after hearing the knocking. Two Illegal Venezuelan Immigrants, Suspected Tda Gang Members Charged In Deadly Chicago Mass Shooting "I shudder to think what might have happened to them, but unfortunately that is what we have seen at that apartment complex, and it's what we've been dealing with," he said. Read On The Fox News App Emerging Venezuelan Gang 'More Violent' Than Tren De Aragua Targets Rural America, Expert Warns Following the incident, police began investigating and identifying the suspects in the video. On June 11 and 12, law enforcement arrested two suspects. Four others known to be involved in prior criminal activity were also detained, according to Aurora Police. 11 Alleged Teen Tren De Aragua Gang Members Attack Nypd Officers: Police The investigation to identify and arrest the remaining suspects in the video is ongoing. Since August of last year, the Aurora Police department has received 44 radio calls for service at the apartment complex, which they narrowed down to about 12 separate individual incidents. These calls were related to shots fired, kidnapping, assault, and more, Chamberlain said. "I want everyone to understand and to know that we are ahead of this," Chamberlain said. "This isn't something that we're reacting to. This is something that we are proactively addressing with everything that we can possibly do." The shocking footage comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement works to remove TdA from U.S. soil. In February, the U.S. declared TdA a global terrorist organization. Aurora is the third-largest city in Colorado with a population of more than 398,000, according to the City of Aurora website. Last summer, an Aurora apartment complex was at the center of the TdA gang takeover controversy after a viral video showed heavily armed gang members taking over an apartment by busting down the door with heavy artillery. Earlier this year, nine suspected TdA members were charged following a violent home invasion, kidnapping and robbery in Aurora. Aurora Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: Suspected Tren de Aragua gang members terrorize apartment complex in shocking doorbell video
