Migrants arriving in the Big Apple are now being bussed to Canada on taxpayer-funded buses to flee the 'drugs, crime and homeless people,' in New York City.
New York City has been a haven for migrants since they began arriving by the hundreds fleeing countries such as, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Honduras, Dominican Republic for a better life.
Many of those illegal immigrants were living at The Watson Hotel located on 57th and Tenth Avenue in taxpayer-funded hotel rooms that cost as much as $450 per night for the last month - until they were removed last weekend and shuttled to one of the city's Humanitarian Emergency Center, a facility in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
But, it has been revealed that many of the migrants have been getting 'free tickets' to Canada that will provide them with a better life and better opportunities and in a country where drug abuse and homelessness is not as prevalent.
One of the Venezuelan migrants who slept outside The Watson Hotel told DailyMail.com that he knows some of the migrants, who are currently being housed at the Red Hook facility will be going to Canada. 'They don't want to stay in New York ... they want to go to Canada because they will get more help there.'
Migrants boarding the bus to the Red Hook facility in Brooklyn last week
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been desperately trying to solve the city's migrant crisis
He also said while others who are staying in New York are trying to find other means of housing- because, he said, 'no one likes that place[Red Hook]...it's disgusting.'
But, some of their challenges they are up against include no work permits, no immigration papers, and barely any pocket money which is making it difficult for the majority to find work here in the Big Apple.
Ivan, 33 of Venezuela told DailyMail.com that he was horrified by the rampant drug use that were in the shelters and all the homeless people and it is much different in his native country.
'I have seen people in the [New York City] shelters doing drugs. In Venezuela I don't see drugs,' he said.
It is unclear if Ivan will be will be traveling to Canada, but Ruben who is also from Venezuela told DailyMail.com that he is 80 percent certain he will be going to start anew and hopes to leave New York City later this week.
Llabrador one of the migrants who stayed at The Watson Hotel and slept on the street after they were evicted was able to find an apartment in Brooklyn that he is sharing with another migrant since Friday.
He told DailyMail.com that a kind-hearted couple from the LGBTQ community took him and his friend in and gave them a place to stay until they figure out their next move.
He said he is still unsure whether he will leave New York and travel to Canada and that right now he is weighing all his options and trying to find out the type of work he can get.
But, for those with families Canada may more a more viable option. A Venezuelan migrant told the New York Post 'the military gave me and my family free bus tickets.'
'I am going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family,' he said.
A spokesperson with the Mayor's office told DailyMail.com on Monday that since the beginning of this crisis, their goal is to help connect asylum seekers who want to move to a different location with friends, family, and/or community.
If needed, re-ticket to help get people to their final destination, if not New York City. The spokesperson said that community-based organizations have also helped to re-ticket people who want to go elsewhere as well.
'The mayor and city leadership have talked about this multiple times, and our press releases when we open new humanitarian relief centers have also discussed the reticketing work to connect people to friends, families, and other networks in their desired destinations,' the spokesperson said.
Those locations can could include Plattsburgh, or other cities/locations people are trying to go to.
'Like the mayor has talked about, plenty of people who arrived here on buses did not want to or intend to go to New York City or did not want to stay here long term, ' the spokesperson said. 'We are not treating Plattsburgh differently than any other city.
Many of the migrants, mostly men from Venezuela, are seen boarding a bus to the Red Hook facility that is normally used as a terminal for cruise ships
Dozens of migrants slept outside of The Watson Hotel for days after getting removed from the hotel to make room for migrant families. The men were bundled in sleeping bags, blankets as to stay warm in freezing temperatures. Many of the items seen here were donated
But, in December NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleaded with the White House to give aid on the migrant crisis.
'I'm extremely frustrated,' Adams said in December.
Since 2022, there have been nearly 21,000 migrants who have been bussed to New York.
But the mayor's press office has simultaneously attempted to present itself as pro-migrant, with Adam's press secretary sharing that 'asylum seekers are also being provided with free roundtrip tickets on a NYC Ferry every day, Fox News reported.
As the migrants arrive in NYC, National Guard soldiers have been stationed in the Port Authority bus terminal to hand out free tickets for shuttles heading upstate towards the Canadian border.
City Hall sources said the move was part of a 're-ticketing' plan to help migrants work their way to Canada, according to The New York Post, where president Justin Trudeau has been outspoken about building a haven for people in need.
Some of the migrants taking the National Guardsmen up on their offer told The Post they were heading to Canada because they felt it would be more welcoming for them and provide better opportunities than the United States.
The news comes as a large group of migrants was publicly ousted from a ritzy midtown hotel they'd been housed in, and Mayor Eric Adams has been desperately trying to convince that the city's shelters are a safe and hospitable option.
NYC City Hall has been paying a number of organizations to assist in their re-ticketing program, according to The Post.
One such organization was Catholic Charities Community Services, which said it had helped 'thousands of new migrants' relocate out of NYC.
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities said some of those migrants 'reported their desire to relocate to other cities, and Catholic Charities provided some assistance for their travel expenses.'
A sign of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and location where hundreds of migrants are being housed. Many were placed at this shelter in Red Hook had been living at The Watson Hotel before they were removed last weekend
A group of migrants are entering the Red Hook shelter where they will receive beds to sleep on, daily meals, and ferry and bus service
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