Migrants in New York have complained about conditions of their accommodation, while others have complained about food.
Several of those seeking shelter said meals served up at New York City asylum seeker shelters are so "bad" they often just trash them.
Some of the meals served to the migrants include pancakes and Quecas, a type of fried tortilla, for breakfast; sandwiches for lunch and dinners including chicken alfredo and chicken with spaghetti.
However, there have been complaints about the condition of the food, with several saying they would rather just cook in their rooms instead.
The New York City hotel has been transformed into a migrant centre
Reuters
Speaking outside the Roosevelt Hotel, which has been set up as the main migrant intake centre, Jesus Alberto, 31, from Venezuela said: "No one likes the food...Without lying, it’s bad, bad."
One migrant, Victor Herrera, 29, told the New York Post: "There is a lot of food left over because people eat in their rooms.
"A lot of people get food on the street because it tastes better and there’s better variety."
Migrant mum, Johana Roa, 23 said: "The breakfast they give us is very sweet. They give us pancakes, doughnuts and cookies for breakfast at 6am.
"It is too sweet to give to my daughter, so I just take a few things. Nothing healthy apart from eggs and fruit, apples and oranges. No oats."
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Migrants are often left waiting outside the hotel for support
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Roa, who is sharing a room at the former hotel with her 2-year-old daughter, said: "The food is very cold and they don’t let us heat anything. You can’t heat the food.
"They don’t let us cook so the mothers have rice pots we cook with. We make rice and meat in the rice pot in the room.
"I try to cook as much as I can in our room so my daughter doesn’t eat too much food from the street. It’s not healthy."
Alexandra Salas, who has been staying at the Roosevelt for seven months with her children, said: "The breakfast and lunch is so cold we can’t eat it, so it gets thrown in the trash...they serve sandwiches for lunch but they are freezing cold."
The Post has reported several migrant families hauling shopping into the Roosevelt this week, including strollers stacked with boxes of Cheerios and Cornflakes, as well as bags filled with chips, bread and pasta.
The hotel closed in 2020
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The hotel, which dates back to 1924, closed during the Covid pandemic. It is now operated by the city as the New York City Asylum Seeker Arrival Center.
A City Hall spokesperson said: "We take the health and safety of migrants in our care very seriously, and that includes providing them with proper nutritional meals.
"As we continue to adjust food orders to improve quality, quantity, and respond to cultural preferences, we are dedicated to providing those in our care with enough food, while at the same time being responsible stewards of public resources."
