The first round of asylum seekers crossing the border from Mexico into the United States arrived in the Town of Newburgh this morning. The move comes just one day after New York State and New York City officials promised local officials that no asylum seekers would be bussed into the Town of Newburgh until further notice.
The Town of Newburgh Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, and local leaders were caught off guard when a bus carrying approximately 60 asylum seekers arrived this morning, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said. The migrants are being housed at the Crossroads Hotel, located near Route 17K and Interstate 84 in the west end of town. Orange County has been declared a State of Emergency while local congressmen are demanding a federal State of Emergency be issued.
Under a plan created by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, migrants arrived in New York City and were put on buses to be sent to the Town of Newburgh. Approximately 60 asylum seekers arrived today for a period of four months. Each of the migrants are single men.
“Sadly, we have learned that you cannot trust the words of New York City’s Mayor and the leadership of New York,” Neuhaus declared.
Last week, Adams contacted Newburgh Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio seeking his feelings about the idea. When Piaquadio explained all of his concerns, Adams reportedly promised to delay any relocation into the Town of Newburgh until all of Piaquadio’s concerns were resolved. Adams then ordered the migrants to be sent to the Town of Newburgh without first resolving the concerns, Piqaudio noted.
“I informed Mayor Adams about my concerns with regard to the absence of background checks on these 60 men,” Piaquadio said. “I told Mayor Adams that the safety of the Town of Newburgh residents is most important. In addition, at the conclusion of the four months, I reminded Mayor Adams that these 60 men would be ineligible to receive Social Services benefits because they are not citizens of the United States.”
Piaquadio explained that a preexisting town code prohibits the Crossroads Hotel from being used as a shelter. Additionally, since it is located adjacent to residential zones, he pointed out there are “very few services within walking distance.”
Piaquadio said there are set procedures in place when another municipality seeks to reallocate the use of a building in the Town of Newburgh. “New York City still needs to follow these procedures,” he observed.
Adams told Piaquadio that New York City would foot the bill for all the expenses associated with housing the asylum seekers.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Neuhaus issued a State of Emergency in response to Adams’ plan. Subsequently, notices were hand-delivered to potential hotels and motels within the Town of Newburgh, making them aware that the town code prohibits hotels and motels from becoming shelters. “The Town of Newburgh will take whatever corrective action is necessary should the town code be violated,” Piaquadio declared at the time.
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the asylum seekers arrived at the Crossroads Hotel. Piaquadio said his “vital questions” remain unanswered by Adams.
Piaquadio said the Town of Newburgh has received no answers about what will happen to the asylum seekers after their four-month stay period has ended, especially considering they will be ineligible to receive Social Services benefits. Piaquadio continues to question how the asylum seekers will access services from an isolated, residential area. He also demands to know if background checks were performed on the migrants.
“The current controversy of relocating Asylum Seekers is a dilemma created at the federal level,” Piaquadio stated. “I feel that the borders are not adequately managed as they had been with many of our ancestors.” He vowed that the Town of Newburgh will continue to monitor the issue.
Neuhaus added, “The blame for this lies with the Mayor of New York, who originally opened the door for as many undocumented immigrants as possible to his self-proclaimed sanctuary city, and the Governor. She has sat back and done nothing as this crisis has negatively impacted New York State.”
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that she secured $1 billion from state taxpayers to help New York City provide the newly arriving migrants with free shelters, free legal assistance, free health care, and more.
U.S. Congressmen Pat Ryan and Mike Lawler today called on the federal government to declare a State of Emergency for New York State.
“The current migrant situation in New York is untenable,” U.S. Congressman Pat Ryan said. “From New York City, where they have more than 60,000 asylum seekers, to the Hudson Valley communities who were given no notice and no assistance to house asylum seekers, to the migrants themselves, simply here in search of a better life, this process has been a mess. The federal government must step in and declare a state of emergency for New York.”
Ryan explained this declaration would allow the federal government to mobilize resources to alleviate the impacts of the migrant surge in New York State.
Congressman Mike Lawler added, “With Title 42 having expired, we are seeing a surge of migrants approaching the border that will add to a crisis that has seen New York City take in over 60,000 migrants so far. Now, Mayor Eric Adams has chosen to begin bussing additional arrivals into the Hudson Valley. This is a completely untenable situation and demands immediate federal action.”
Lawler is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare a federal State of Emergency to provide resources aimed at alleviating the impact of this expected surge in the coming days, weeks, and months.
“I have been calling for additional support for months to prevent us from arriving at this juncture, but my requests were ignored by the Biden administration and FEMA. Now, it is imperative they act,” Lawler noted.
