NEWBERG, NY – After days of impasse over the possibility of moving migrants from New York City to a nearby suburban county, two buses of migrants arrived Thursday at a hotel in Newburgh, Orange County, about 60 miles north of Manhattan. is in
He was greeted by about 15 supporters, who waved signs and cheered his arrival, and Newburgh police officers, who stood aside to allow buses to park by the front door of the Crossroads Hotel here.
When the second bus arrived, 19 people got out shortly before 1 pm. They traveled light, carrying two dozen bags between them.
The peaceful arrival stood in stark contrast to the fierce protests expressed in recent days by some leaders and residents of Rockland and Orange counties, who vowed to do everything in their power to stop New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, from sending migrants north. Had eaten ,
In Orangetown, a Rockland County city 45 miles south of Newburgh, that resistance took the form of police officers and sheriff’s deputies, who parked their cruisers near the entrance to the parking lot of the Armoni Inn & Suites Hotel and held protests throughout the week. Stay there, with orders from county leaders to physically block and search any buses of incoming migrants.
In Newburgh on Thursday morning, after migrants arrived, men on motorcycles came from the Crossroads Hotel and shouted obscenities at reporters and immigrant advocates.
The conversation became even more heated on Wednesday evening, according to a video of the conversation, when a group of people protesting the arrival of the migrants stood in front of the hotel and told the people gathered in support of the migrants to “go home”. Said.
“We’re from here!” the pro-migrant protesters shouted back.
The political impasse over where the migrants would be housed began last Friday, when Mr Adams announced he would begin sending them to hotels in Orange and Rockland counties. Mr Adams said all migrants participating would do so voluntarily. They will receive accommodation in hotels for up to four months, which will be paid for by the city.
Political reaction to the mayor’s announcement gripped all levels of New York state government this week. Leaders of both countries, like Gov. Cathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said, “It’s just poorly executed and an indication of how they’ve been handling this thing since day 1.” “They really need to start communicating more.”
Rockland County, the City of Orangetown and the City of Newburgh all sought temporary restraining orders to prevent migrants from arriving. The Rockland County Health Department inspected the Armoni Hotel, one of the hotels chosen to house the migrants, and found that its operating permit had expired in April, said Ed Day, the county executive.
“It was a sneak attack in the middle of the night,” said Teresa Kenny, supervisor of Orangetown, about Mr. Adams’ decision to send the migrants there. “If the mayor really wanted a successful plan, it was his responsibility to call us months ago.”
Mr. Adams began busing migrants to nearby suburban towns in an effort to relieve the city’s shelters and hotels, which are experiencing overcrowding as thousands of migrants flock to the city, mostly from Latin America.
Buses left downtown for Newburgh just hours before the expiration of Title 42, an executive order signed by former President Donald J. Trump issued the release at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which enabled authorities to quickly deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants, some of whom might otherwise have been allowed into hospitals.
More than 60,000 migrants have arrived in New York City in the past year, according to City Hall officials, including 4,200 in the past week alone.
Citing federal sources, state officials have warned that weekly arrivals are likely to rise to 5,000 with the end of Title 42, which is set to expire at midnight.
More than 37,500 migrants are now in the care of the city in more than 120 emergency shelters and eight mass centres.
New York City is looking for additional places to house them, including an abandoned psychiatric hospital and a hangar at Kennedy International Airport. City officials also asked an owner of the Flatiron Building if there were any rooms (he said no).
“We could potentially have thousands of people a day in our city,” Mr. Adams said.
Even as the buses arrived in Orange County on Thursday, according to Neuhaus, officials there were seeking a court injunction at the last minute to block the city’s plan.
Both she and Mr. Day have faulted Mr. Adams for failing to communicate effectively with them and behaving in a high-handed manner.
As tensions escalated, Mr Day even threatened to grab Mr Adams “by the throat”.
On Wednesday night, Fabian Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Adams, said Mr. Day was “unable to show a shred of the humane and compassionate care that has been shown to New York City over the past year.”
The mayor said on Thursday that he had no choice but to send more replies to the migrants. He also explicitly said that unlike Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, New York City would pay for the migrants’ hotel rooms and support services.
“Everything is on the table,” said the mayor.
“I mean, it’s an ‘oh shucks’ moment,” he said, referring to the influx of 4,200 migrants in the past week. “And I’m only saying ‘Shucks’ because I’m being shown on TV. Listen, it’s scary. And Title 42 hasn’t been picked up yet.
