Republican county lawmakers are exploring legal action to prevent immigrants and asylum seekers from being resettled in the county. (Courtesy of the Suffolk County Legislators Facebook page.)
Republican lawmakers in Suffolk County said Sunday they intend to hire lawyers to explore legal options to prevent immigrants and asylum seekers who commute to New York City by bus daily from being resettled into the county.
Democratic County Executive Steve Veron said in a statement that he does not support the initiative.
“The public has every right to be outraged by the policy failures that have led to this crisis, but I urge everyone not to direct this well-deserved frustration at families who are desperate and legally seeking asylum,” Mr. Peron said in a statement said in. According to News Daily.
The legal uncertainty about what can or should be done echoes a similar situation in Riverhead, where last week town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar issued a controversial executive order declaring a state of emergency in an attempt to prevent immigrants from checking into local hotels and motel. At a town council meeting the following night, several angry residents who opposed the order sharply criticized Riverhead officials.
“New York City made the conscious decision to call itself a sanctuary city,” Suffolk County Legislature Chairman Kevin McCaffrey said Sunday in a controversial news conference aired on the legislature’s Facebook page. . Suffolk does not.”
Mr. McCaffrey went on to say that “several counties across the state have initiated litigation and successfully obtained temporary restraining orders,” but noted that “our county executives have indicated that he is not prepared to take these actions.”
“It’s not an anti-immigrant stance,” McCaffrey said, “Yes, it is!” from the audience.
“We recognize that this is an immigrant county,” he continued. “This is about the federal government’s failed immigration policy.”
Mr. McCaffrey said county officials had not spoken directly to anyone in New York City government, but said city agencies were reaching out to hotels and motels in Suffolk County, offering to provide housing funding for at least a year for the influx of newcomers, and asylum seekers.
“They called every hotel and motel in New York State,” he said.
McCaffrey also rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal for a potential plan to house immigrants on SUNY campuses.
“You know that’s not going to happen,” he said. “Our SUNY students will not be displaced.”
Mr McCaffrey said absorbing large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers “is an unfair burden on Suffolk residents”.
Mr McCaffrey said the minimum waiting time for an asylum hearing is two years and ultimately, 90 per cent of asylum seekers’ applications are rejected. He did not specify his sources. “I’m not sure they’re going to pack up and go home,” he said.
Syracuse University Data Research Center Analysis assertion Denials of asylum peaked in 2019 and have been declining since then.
Republican Rep. Nick Lalota was yelled at when he initially tried to speak. After a few minutes, he was able to continue.
“We are a nation of immigrants. We are proud of our immigrant heritage,” he said. “We’re also a country that follows the rules and the law… [and] We must continue to be a nation of rules and laws. “
Lalotta continued: “This is a problem of Albany and New York City’s own making.
“And those who created this mess have a responsibility to pay for this mess.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams suggestion Every U.S. city should share the burden of housing immigrants and asylum seekers, CBS said on Sunday’s nationwide show.
“We have 108,000 cities, villages and towns,” Mr Adams said. “If everyone takes a small portion … it’s not a city burden.”
