Mayor Spano: Yonkers could see up to 100 asylum seeking families from NYC
Spano raised concerns about how Yonkers will be able to pay for health care and education and other added expenses.
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Yonkers could see up to 100 asylum-seeking families being sent from New York City, according to Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
Speaking for first time since 14 migrant families arrived Monday night to stay at the Ramada Inn, the mayor, City Council president and Yonkers’ public school superintendent stood with a united message to the governor and to the New York City mayor that they need help to support asylum seekers being sent to the suburbs.
Spano says 38 asylum seekers arrived last night, making up 14 families of mostly women with small children. He said the hotel has the capacity to hold as many as 100 migrant families.
He took a different tone than leaders in the northern counties of the Hudson Valley on this issue, saying asylum-seekers are now the city’s guests, and will be treated with dignity.
And while New York City is paying for their stay, he raised concerns about how Yonkers will be able to pay for health care and education and other added expenses.
Mayor Spano pointed out that New York City has received $1 billion from the state to support the influx of migrants. He says Yonkers should also receive funding.
“Dealing with the crisis is coming up with a plan…giving the funding necessary to support that plan and that’s what we are lacking right now and that’s the type of leadership we need and it has to happen at the state level,” he said.
Spano says that he said with little communication with NYC leaders, but says they told him the plan is to only send families with children that are not yet school aged, thus not adding strain to the school system
However, Yonkers provides universal 3K, meaning that some of the children would be eligble for schooling in the city. School Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada said some of these children would likely need special services, like English as second language, and additional support because some children may have never had any education in their home countries.
Mayor Spano says he’s been in constant talks with Westchester County Executive George Latimer and hopes they can all come together to respond better to the migrant crisis.
