Seattle steps in to foot bill for migrants living in hotel

A group of about 200 migrants seeking asylum will be allowed to remain at a hotel — at least for now.

The City of Seattle stepped up at the last minute to pay for them to stay at the hotel for one more week. That's after a group of asylum-seekers and their children stayed at City Hall for hours after sharing their need for safe housing with the City Council.

Advocates said the city and its county and state partners came up with this solution within a matter of hours, and they expect to see more results now that they've bought more time.

The families who demonstrated are part of a bigger group of asylum seekers that have been staying at Quality Inn in Kent since Jan. 10 with the help of the national nonprofit Save the Kids. However, the hotel manager said the card on file was repeatedly declined; Save the Kids told KUOW the credit card was provided by a private startup company to help pay for some housing.

That left the asylum-seekers with a hefty bill of about $3,600 per night, and few options before a Tuesday deadline to leave the hotel.

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The group took the matter to Seattle City Hall on Tuesday. Now, Seattle officials have promised to pay their hotel bills for about a week.

Hamdi Mohamed, director of Seattle's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, made the announcement to demonstrators at City Hall, prompting audible gasps of relief as a translator shared the news in Spanish.

The news came after demonstrators had waited hours for information. Advocates brought them water and food, yet another necessity that has been hard to come by.

"One of the things that the city is committed to — and we've been doing for quite some time — is working with our nonprofit organizations to help provide legal clinics to connect you guys with legal services; to provide some sort of consultation; to help with employment authorization cards, because I know that's important to a lot of you guys," Mohamed said. "So, any services that are out there in the next week or so, we will also communicate that to you all."

This just a temporary solution, though.

Mohamed said the city does not have the resources to support the asylum-seekers' needs long term.

"Migrant issues is a federal issue, and the city doesn't have resources, specifically, to respond to that," she said Tuesday. "But we are today."

In the meantime, Mohamed said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell hopes to discuss the matter with Gov. Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine to find a more sustainable solution.

The asylum-seekers have come a long way looking for help; many are from Venezuela. The U.S. has placed sanctions on Venezuela in recent years, exacerbating the country’s economic conditions. At the same time, the U.S. has been granting temporary protected status for Venezuelan immigrants, incentivizing many to come here.

RELATED: For these asylum-seekers, a Tukwila church offers temporary comfort and refuge

They've had to seek shelter elsewhere, too, under difficult circumstances.

Adriana Figueira had previously been staying at the Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila, where at one point more than 500 asylum-seekers took refuge, many in tents.

Some in the group previously told KUOW they’ve tried to return to Riverton Park United Methodist Church, only to be turned away.