New York’s grand old Midtown landmark — owned by Pakistan’s national airline — has already pocketed hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to house migrants. Now, city officials say the same property has fallen behind on millions in unpaid property taxes and water bills, even as talk swirls of a redevelopment deal that could shield it from future taxes altogether.
Pakistan’s state-owned Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan owed New York City $13.6 million in overdue property taxes and nearly $1 million in unpaid water bills, after receiving $146.6 million to operate the hotel as a migrant shelter for two years, The Post reported.
The Pakistani-owned hotel at 45 East 45th St. signed a payment agreement with the city’s Department of Finance in September 2023, when it already owed $11.6 million.
But Pakistan missed a $573,361 payment due Jan. 2 and did not make a $3.9 million half-year payment, despite being paid millions by taxpayers to house migrants.
“This property is currently in default on its payment plan,” a DOF spokesman confirmed.
The hotel’s annual property tax bill was $7.7 million this July.
A joint venture between Pakistan and the US govt to demolish the Roosevelt and build an office tower could trigger a federal tax exemption, as the State Department typically asked the DOF to grant one when a foreign govt bought US property.
The Post reported that a deal with federal authorities to redevelop the landmark into a supertall skyscraper could allow Pakistan to avoid future taxes, potentially costing the city tens of millions per year.
“We have not received a letter in this case,” the DOF spokesman said. “However, any charges that accrued prior to government ownership must still be paid.”
The Roosevelt served as the primary intake centre for migrants arriving in the city starting in 2022, processing more than 173,000 of the 232,000 asylum seekers. The hotel often housed 2,600 migrants a night from May 2023 through June 2025, under a $220 million contract that paid about $202 per night per room.
The report said the hotel became overwhelmed, with migrants sleeping in retail spaces and on sidewalks.
The Roosevelt became a hub for the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, which organised moped robbery crews out of the hotel, according to Homeland Security officials.
Another Venezuelan illegal housed at the Roosevelt, Jose Ibarra, left the hotel in September 2023 and less than six months later murdered University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Ibarra was serving a life sentence without parole.
The city was still battling the Trump administration over $80.5 million in FEMA reimbursements clawed back on Feb. 11, 2025.
Pakistan was scrambling to sell the Roosevelt, which was owned by state-run Pakistan International Airlines since 1999. It hired real estate firm JLL in late 2023 to solicit bids expected to top $1 billion, but JLL withdrew over conflicts of interest.
The potential joint venture with the US govt remained in early stages, with only a Memorandum of Understanding signed.
The Pakistani Embassy, the GSA, the city Department of Environmental Protection, and the Mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
