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Rockland County declares state of emergency as Mayor Adams plans to send migrants to Hudson Valley
By
Christian Santana
Published May 7, 2023
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Arya Sundaram / Gothamist
By
Christian Santana
Published May 7, 2023
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Rockland County Executive Ed Day declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ plans to relocate migrants from city shelters to hotels in the Hudson Valley..
Officials in the county said the state of emergency prohibits any outside municipality from bringing people to Rockland County for housing. The order prohibits hotels and motels from housing migrants without a license, and mandates that any city that sends asylum seekers to the county must ensure their care is fully paid for.
The order remains in effect for 30 days, and could be extended.
Adams’ relocation plan, which was announced on Friday, would’ve offered nearly 340 single adult men a four-month stay at the Armoni Inn and Suites, located in the Rockland County hamlet of Orangeburg, or at a hotel in the town of Orange Lake in neighboring Orange County. In a press release on Friday, the mayor said the voluntary relocation program would offer the same services delivered by the city’s emergency response centers.
City officials said more than 37,500 asylum-seekers are currently in the city's care, and the relocation was intended to free up space to accommodate the influx of new arrivals expected when Title 42 ends on May 11.
But the plan was met with resistance from Rockland County officials. They criticized the lack of resources within walking distance of the hotel, and claimed there was a lack of communication from the city as to who would support the migrants in the long term.
“As I said yesterday, it’s the same as tossing people in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to swim,” Day said in a statement on Saturday.
“This county already has a housing crisis due to the lack thereof and lack of affordable housing options,” Day continued. “Sending busloads of people to this county that does not have the infrastructure to care for them will only compound that issue tenfold while straining support systems that are already at a breaking point.”
Immigrant advocates also condemned Adams’ plan to bus asylum-seekers upstate.
“Busing people upstate for shelter is only a temporary fix,” Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement on Friday. “They will be out of sight, but it’s short-sighted to think that the mayor can resolve New York City’s housing problems in this manner.”
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