Fate of New York City's plan to send asylum seekers to Hudson Valley hotels unclear amid opposition from political leaders
ORANGETOWN, N.Y. - It's not clear when New York City will proceed with a plan to relocate asylum seekers to the suburbs.
Late Tuesday, the Town of Orangetown filed for a restraining order to stop the transfer of several hundred single men to Hudson Valley hotels.
Residents and elected officials spoke at a board meeting Tuesday night.
"He doesn't have the jurisdiction. It violates the concept of home rule in New York state and is deeply offensive," Orangetown board member Thomas Diviny said.
"We have no problem helping, but this is being force-fed and it's not fair," Orangetown resident Dina McIntyre said. "We can't go down there and tell Mayor Adams what to do. Why is he doing that to us?"
Rockland County Executive Ed Day appeared on CNN to continue his opposition to Mayor Eric Adams' plan to relocate 150 single, male asylum seekers to a Rockland County hotel.
"We are not going to accept what is essentially is a New York City shelter here in Rockland County," Day said.
New York City has been searching high and low for available space for the 61,000 asylum seekers it is legally obligated to house, offering four months of city-paid food, housing and medical care at Hudson Valley hotels.
That led to emergency declarations from county executives who say Adams failed to consult them.
Sal Albanese, longtime observer of New York politics, says Adams should have used Gov. Kathy Hochul as an intermediary.
"She has a lot of leverage, obviously, a lot more leverage than the mayor when it comes to suburban counties, and I think that would have helped to mitigate some of the outrage, some of the opposition," Albanese said.
With more asylum seekers on the way, Westchester County also expects to hear from the city about housing.
"We're not going to interdict the buses and say 'No, you can't come into Westchester County,'" Westchester County Executive George Latimer said.
Latimer said there are legitimate concerns about possible costs and security.
"What is a reasonable amount that you, New York City, will provide for this, and what do I, from the Westchester County standpoint, have to wrap around support?" Latimer said.
All sides find common ground looking to Washington for aid.
"The federal government has to do more to help the municipalities. This is not anything any municipality can handle on their own," New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said.
Meanwhile, New York City is working to overcome local opposition, including hosting a conference call with Rockland officials late Tuesday afternoon.
Adams also ordered all city agencies to review their real estate portfolio to identify space suitable for housing asylum seekers.
The mayor's office released the following statement Tuesday night:
"New York City has cared for more than 61,000 migrants — sheltering, feeding, and caring for them, and we have done so largely without incident. We need the federal government to step up, but until they do, we need other elected officials around the state and country to do their part. Sadly, the Rockland County executive has already shown he is incapable of managing less than ¼ of 1% of the asylum seekers who have come to New York City, even with New York paying for shelter, food, and services, and all this temporary order shows is that he is incapable of demonstrating a shred of the humane and compassionate care New York City has shown over the past year. We will allow the hotel to decide how to move forward in Rockland County, but our plan is still to move a small number of asylum seekers to Orange County tomorrow, barring any security issues."
Oral arguments on Orangetown's restraining order will be heard in court Monday morning.