This is nuts: Vivek Ramaswamy on New York’s $220-million deal with Pak-owned hotel

“This is nuts!” wrote Republican leader and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in a tweet, as he shared a report claiming that New York City taxpayers were paying 220 million US Dollars to the Roosevelt Hotel, a Pakistani government-owned hotel.

The report cited by Ramaswamy was shared by author John LeFevre, and claimed that the hotel housed illegal migrants.

“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, who declared his candidacy for US presidential elections earlier this year, said on X.

The sprawling 19-storey New York City hotel is named after former US president Theodore Roosevelt.

The hotel is run and the immigrants’ expenses for staying there are paid with New York taxpayers’ money.

In the post, John LeFevre claimed that the ‘sweatheart’ deal with the Pakistan government was part of a 1.1 billion US Dollars IMF bailout package. He was citing a Geo TV report, in which a Pakistani minister was quoted.

“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,” LeFevre said in his post.

LeFevre also shared a photo of the hotel along with the statement of Pakistan’s Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique mentioning the purported deal.

“The lease agreement is expected to generate revenues to the tune of around $220 million for the Pakistan government,” the minister was quoted as saying by Geo TV, as per the screenshot shared by LeFevre. “A contract was signed for 1,250 rooms. The hotel will be returned to the government of Pakistan once the three-year lease term expires,” the minister reportedly added.

The revelation comes at a time when US President-elect Donald Trump has been constantly stressing the need to curb illegal migration into the country. Trump also centred his presidential campaign around the issue of illegal immigration, among others.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have been tasked with leading a new “Department of Government Efficiency”, as part of which they supposed to slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.