'Desperately Needed': Hochul Asks Biden To Act In Asylum Seeker Crisis

LONG ISLAND, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul sent a letter to President Joe Biden Thursday, asking the federal government to step up and take "desperately needed" executive action on the migrant crisis that has brought more than 100,000 asylum seekers to New York State.

"I cannot ask New Yorkers to pay for what is fundamentally a federal responsibility, and I urge the federal government to take prompt and significant action today to meet its obligation to New York State," the letter states.

Hochul called on Biden to direct the federal government to provide expedited work authorizations for asylum seekers, financial assistance for New York City and New York State, the use of federal land and facilities for temporary shelter sites, and Title 32 designation to provide federal funding for the nearly 2,000 New York National Guard members currently providing logistical and operational support across the state.

"These individuals are literally fleeing for their lives — political strife, gang violence, extreme poverty, and persecution," she said. "They're coming to this country with the same goal that my once impoverished Irish grandparents did, just to build a better life for themselves and their families."

Hochul explained why migrants have heading primarily to New York City: In 1981, she said, the City of New York and a Coalition for the Homeless signed an agreement that the city would provide shelter to anyone who seeks it.

"This is an agreement that does not apply to the state's other 57 counties, which is one of the reasons we cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants, nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will," Hochul said.

On Long Island in May, Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar declared a state of emergency in regard to the migrant crisis.

Riverhead Town code does not allow the use of transient motels for use as residential housing, she said — and asylum seekers will “face refusal and/or eviction,” resulting in widespread homelessness, the supervisor said.

She ordered that all hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast facilities, inns, cottages, campgrounds, or any other transient lodging units allowing short-term rentals do not accept migrants or asylum-seekers in Riverhead Town.

“Relative to the surrounding townships on the East End and throughout Suffolk County, Riverhead has done more than its share when it comes to housing the homeless, providing services and offering affordable housing and our resources — and taxpayers simply cannot withstand further demand on our public services,” Aguiar said.

In June, New York City commenced litigation against Suffolk County and Riverhead Town, as well as more than 30 counties statewide, for their stance.

Meanwhile, in Riverhead, the state of emergency remains in effect, extended a number of times.

Hochul said she believes the state has a "moral imperative to help these new arrivals,'" but added, "But to level with New Yorkers, bearing much needed changes at the border, there does not appear to be a solution to this federal problem anytime soon."

To that end, she asked Biden for expedited work authorization to get people out of shelters and into jobs; financial support, she said, is necessary for federal housing vouchers, schools, health care, legal services, case management, and shelter — including the use of more federal facilities to construct new temporary shelters.

Allowing the asylum seekers to work, Hochul said, will also help businesses struggling across New York State to find workers during a time when shortages have some businesses curtailing hours or shutting their doors on certain days.

Hochul said she would order the Department of Labor to "proactively connect asylum seekers" with potential employers in anticipation of them receiving the work authorization before they're already authorized. "Let them work," she said.

Until then, Hochul said funding and sites from the federal government to "help cover the massive, massive expenses of sheltering tens of thousands of people in our country, in our state today," is critical. And, she added, comprehensive immigration reform from Congress remains a top priority.

Elected officials and others from across Long Island responded to Hochul's call-out to the federal government.

"The migrant crisis falls on the hands of our federal elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, who have yet to fulfill their responsibility of creating a sustainable pathway to citizenship," said State Senator Monica Martinez said. "As a result, we continue to use an antiquated system that leads to situations like this. As a nation, we have been strengthened by the economic contributions made by immigrants."

Assembly Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos added: "Migrants are the backbone of the New York economy, and New York has always been a beacon of hope, which the Status of Liberty represents to all who make it here. . . These are reasonable requests that the federal government must act upon so that people's lives can continue, and these asylum seekers can start walking toward the path of self-determination."

New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio said New Yorkers and Americans from all other states are "tired of the federal government's inaction with respect to the immigration crisis that the Biden administration created and is actively fostering." She added: "While New Yorkers are used to dysfunction from the Biden administration, the immigration crisis that we are currently experiencing is unprecedented. Governor Hochul's plea for help is indicative of the severe nature of this crisis and the well-documented adverse impacts that New Yorkers are facing as a result."

Giglio said she believes the needs of New Yorkers must always come first. "I will always be a tireless fighter and advocate for New Yorkers. I stand ready, willing and able to partner with my colleagues at all levels to find a much-needed solution that respects the rule of law for the benefit of our great state and the people who call New York State home."

Babylon Town Supervisor and head of the Suffolk County Supervisors Association Rich Schaffer thanked Hochul for her "leadership and advocacy amid this unprecedented crisis. It is past time for Washington to step up and act."

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said he supported Hochul's approach to the challenges posed by the influx to New York of asylum seekers, in seeking support and resources from the federal government.

"Migrants who come to the U.S. fleeing untenable conditions and in search of asylum should be met in our country with a humanitarian response and provided assistance and basic necessities," he said. "These resources, however, should be issued on a federal level and provided to states and municipalities that could easily be overwhelmed by the demand."

Southampton Supervisor Jay Schneiderman added: "Immigration is a federal issue, yet the financial burden of managing thousands of asylum seekers has fallen on state and local government. I join the governor's call for the federal government to reimburse our taxpayers for the cost of managing this humanitarian crisis, not of our making."

The dearth of workers on Long Island's farms was also discussed.

Long Island Farm Bureau President Robert Carpenter reflected: "Farm Bureau has long been calling for immigration reform to address serious labor shortages that place our farms and processing facilities in jeopardy," he said.

The LIFB, he said, supports Hochul’s request to the federal government to expedite work visas for migrants who have proper documentation and who want to work on farms in New York.

"A strong, viable food system is important for all New York State residents and we will continue to work with the Department of Agriculture and Markets and others to continue feeding the people of New York State," he said.

Wanda Sanchez Day, general counsel/senior policy counsel for OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy organization, also weighed in.

"OLA of Eastern Long Island is a non-profit organization that has served the needs of migrants and immigrants on the East End of Long Island for over 20 years. We see that migrants contribute greatly in labor, art, intellect and entrepreneurial endeavors to the rich fabric of our communities but some need help while seeking to integrate," she said.

Hochul’s declaration of emergency and emergency order on May 9 "was decisive and a step in the right direction," she said.

OLA supports Hochul's request to the federal government to expedite the work authorization process for asylum seekers "down to no more than 15 days as this will assist them to quickly begin a life of self-reliance," she said.

Equally important, she added, is the need for critical federal funding to aid states that provide the adequate and safe housing they need while they await the decisions on their applications.

"The extremely scarce resources of local governments and nonprofits, cannot be relied on to significantly address the increased migration with public donations and local taxes," Sanchez Day said.

Hochul's letter to Biden can be seen here.