Stalemate between New York City, north suburban counties over plans to relocate asylum seekers
NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- It's a stalemate between New York City and two north suburban counties over plans to relocate several hundred asylum seekers.
After staying mostly in the background, Gov. Kathy Hochul is now taking a more public role.
Private security was in place at the Crossroads Hotel in the Orange County town of Newburgh. Welcome signs and activists were ready for asylum seekers who had been expected to arrive Wednesday night from New York City.
"We are committed to ensuring that these folks are supported and received with dignity here in Orange County and in Newburgh," Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos said.
One neighbor named Rose says hardworking immigrants made America, but the hotel is isolated and inappropriate for long-term housing.
"I think that these will work hard, too, but don't bring them here with nothing," Rose said. "There's no plan."
Ultimately, the plans to move the asylum seekers to Orange and Rockland counties on Wednesday night were postponed.
New York City is looking to house hundreds of asylum seekers in the Hudson Valley, with four months of city-paid shelter, food and services.
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Mayor Eric Adams has been casting a wide net and seeking space outside the city, where asylum seekers have already filled 120 shelters.
Hochul is now taking a more active role to help.
"I am working very closely with the mayor to identify more sites that we can welcome these individuals. You know, they're human beings, they deserve to be treated with dignity, but also, we're going to have a capacity issue, so we're going to be needing to look at other places as well," Hochul said.
Plans to house asylum seekers at a Rockland County hotel are on hold. Local officials say city outreach was minimal and long-term sheltering is not permitted. They got a restraining order to stop any relocations.
"We don't believe it's constitutional. We don't believe it's going to hold in the courts," Orange County Legislator Kevindaryan Lujan said.
The county executives in both Orange and Rockland issued emergency orders to stop any relocations. Hochul says her team is looking at the constitutionality of that.
Meanwhile, the need for more space to shelter asylum seekers gets more acute every day.
Officials in Rockland County say the sheriff is authorized to stop any New York City vehicles attempting to bring asylum seekers to the county.
