Orange County Exec Declares State of Emergency Over NYC Migrant Plan

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — Monday evening, County Executive Steven Neuhaus joined neighbor Rockland County Executive Ed Day in declaring a state of emergency to combat New York City's plan to house several hundred asylum seekers in local hotels.

SEE: NYC Plan For Migrants Like 'Human Trafficking' - Rockland County Exec

The announced plan was to house up to 340 single men in hotels in Orangeburg (Rockland County) and Orange Lake (Orange County for four months, providing not only shelter but also food, health care and "wrap-around" services including assistance applying for work permits.

Although that is unlike Texas's bare-bones shipments of busloads of migrants, Neuhaus did see a perpetuation of the political divide.

"Whereas the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams has decried the fact that Governor Abbott has chosen to send such migrants and asylum seekers to those jurisdictions with minority mayors, he has in similar fashion sent the same migrants and asylum seekers to targeted republican controlled counties, failing and refusing to send the same to democrat controlled counties," the declaration says.

Neuhaus also accused Adams of failing and refusing to adequately address the needs of such migrants and asylum seekers transferred to New York City, but did not give details other than saying that covering living costs for up to 60 migrants in Orange County was "transferring said duties and responsibilities to the County of Orange County Government."

He said city officials may be telling migrants and Hudson Valley officials that the plan is for four months but county officials believe it "will be longer, if not permanent." He also said the county had come to believe Monday that the initial plan for fewer than 100 people was just the beginning.

"Orange County has since learned that the Adams administration has also sought to house additional hundreds of migrants and/or asylum seekers at additional locations without notifying Orange County, and as a result Orange County can no longer rely on the representations of New York City officials," the declaration said.

The declaration said there is no reason to believe that the migrants or asylum seekers will leave Orange County after New York City ceases to pay for the housing and any services they are receiving, or that "many thousands more" would not be transported to Orange County. The county would be responsible for their public safety; asylum seekers would end up needing government services.

As in Rockland County, local zoning codes do not allow use of temporary residence hotels or other temporary residence facilities for use as long term residential housing and therefore New York City's transportation of migrants and asylum seekers to Orange County for that purpose is illegal, the declaration said.

Enforcement of local zoning codes would mean the migrants would face refusal or eviction from the illegal hotels and short term residential facilities, resulting in large scale homelessness, it foresaw — saying that all temporary housing shelter beds in Orange County are at maximum capacity and cannot accommodate additional homeless individuals.

The fear of protests was also a reason for the declaration of a state of emergency. "The County of Orange anticipates potential civil disobedience and protesting on this issue both for and against the transportation of migrants/asylum seekers to Orange County."

For all those reasons, local hotels, motels and/or any facilities allowing short term rentals may not accept said migrants and/or asylum seekers for housing within Orange County.

"I find reasonable apprehension of immediate danger thereof that public safety is imperiled thereby, for not only the migrant and asylum seekers, but also to the other affected residents of Orange County," Neuhaus said.

Related:

• NYC Turns NYPD Facility Into Asylum Seeker Housing, Union Says
• NYC Plan For Migrants Like 'Human Trafficking' - Rockland County Exec
• Adams Advances Push To Resettle NYC Migrants Upstate
• New Plan For NYC Migrants Includes New Cities, Mayor Won't Say Where