Call Organized by Governor Shows State is Unprepared to Deal with Influx of Migrants, Says County Executive Steve McLaughlin
State and NYC Leaders Are Unwilling to Take on Biden Administration to Stop Influx of Migrants, McLaughlin Adds
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said he has even more concerns about an influx of migrants from New York City into upstate counties following a call organized by Governor Kathy Hochul.
The call shows state leaders are not prepared for the influx of migrants, and equally important, are doing little to convince the Biden administration to secure the borders, McLaughlin added.
“My worry is that this could become a real disaster and a humanitarian crisis throughout New York State,” said McLaughlin.
“Governor Hochul herself used the word crisis in describing the situation and the problem at hand. Yet Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams seem reluctant to confront the Biden administration and demand they secure the border and stop the flood of migrants,” added McLaughlin.
“Both the Governor and the Mayor have not commenced legal action against the Biden administration, and instead, are largely left telling upstate counties to be ready for migrants to come. Legal action to stop the influx seems like a common-sense move to me,” noted McLaughlin.
On Tuesday, McLaughlin issued a State of Emergency order in Rensselaer County prohibiting municipalities or businesses in the county from entering into contracts for the housing of migrants. The SOE came after SOEs were issued by Rockland and Orange counties, and the Rensselaer County order was followed by Chemung and Broome counties.
On the conference call organized by Governor Hochul earlier this afternoon, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus described the situation in his county as a “complete disaster.” Over 80 migrants have already been bused into the county with no input from Orange County leaders, and more are expected.
There was also concern raised by other county officials from other areas of the state about the vetting of those entering the state. A Hochul administration official claimed most who enter are women and children, yet most migrants observed are males in early to mid-adulthood. Additional concerns were voiced about impact on school districts when children are involved.
McLaughlin shared the concern voiced by other county leaders that upstate or Hudson Valley counties do not have the resources or room to handle a large influx of migrants. On a call organized by his office on Thursday, Mayor Adams said all counties can expect to see some migrants in the coming weeks.
“We do not have the resources and we do not have the room to handle a large number of migrants. That is clear across the state, especially in counties like Rensselaer County that have npt declared themselves as a sanctuary county,” said McLaughlin.
“This episode is clear proof of the failure of the open borders policy and the sanctuary cities policy. Cities like New York City advertised themselves as a haven for migrants, and now they want to act surprised when they are taken up on their offer. What is concerning is that state leaders like Governor Hochul do not seem ready to object to the Biden administration about the migrants as a potential disaster approaches,” added McLaughlin.