Rockland County declares state of emergency before expected arrival of migrants from New York City
Rockland County officials say 340 migrant men will be staying at the Armoni Inn and Suites in Orangeburg for four months to get work permits and integrate into the community.
Rockland County declared a state of emergency Saturday ahead of the expected arrival of hundreds of migrants from New York City.
Rockland County officials say 340 migrant men will be staying at the Armoni Inn and Suites in Orangeburg for four months to get work permits and integrate into the community.
The county informed New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday that Rockland would not allow the plan to stand and has enacted a state of emergency in direct response.
Rockland authorities do not know when the migrants will arrive, but New York City officials say that it is "imminent.”
Rockland County Executive Ed Day released a statement against New York City's plan saying in part, “This county already has a housing crisis due to the lack thereof and lack of affordable housing options. This crisis is so extreme that Rockland has been unprecedently deputized by the State of New York to take over Building and Fire Code enforcement in the Village of Spring Valley."
He also said, “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."
Meanwhile, Orange County Executive Stephen Neuhaus learned that 60 migrant men will be staying at the Crossroads Hotel in the Town of Newburgh.
Sources tell News 12 that they are expected to arrive at the location by this weekend or Monday.
A special Orangetown Town Board closed door meeting about ongoing concerns with the plans was held at Town Hall on Saturday night. Members of the Town Board discussed how to stop what may be headed to the community.
"He's a hypocrite, because he's the one who said, 'I can't believe they're doing this to the city of New York,' and now he's doing the exact same thing that he's come out against so many times in the press," said Orangetown Town Board Member Tom Diviny.
"The county executive issued an executive order, under a state of emergency and he did issue them, basically, a cease-and-desist for the hotel," said Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny. The board also hired an outside attorney to enforce that legal action.
"They have served the owners of the property with, basically, a cease-and-desist order, and they are willing and able to enforce that," Diviny said.
Some Orangeburg residents arrived at Town Hall hoping to attend the meeting, only to learn that it was not open to the public.
One resident told News 12 she did not want the migrants sent to her community, citing safety concerns and that they have not been properly screened. She added that it would be a financial stress to the community.
"New York is a sanctuary city. Orangetown didn't decide to be a sanctuary town, and we don't want to be one," Diviny said.
