Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus on Monday declared a State of Emergency for the County in response to New York City’s proposed plan to send asylum seekers to be temporarily housed at motels in the Town of Newburgh.
The Executive Order reads as follows:
WHEREAS, there is a national immigration crisis at the border between the United States and Mexico in that unprecedented and overwhelming numbers of migrants and asylum seekers are crossing over the open border of the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Federal government has failed or refused to anticipate and react to the exigent and emergent circumstances, resulting in thousands of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of Texas has seen fit to relocate thousands of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Texas border to New York City, rather than address issues presented to its state and/or the Federal government; and
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 a 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; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, although declaring New York City a sanctuary city, has failed and refused to adequately address the needs of such migrants and asylum seekers transferred to New York City, and decided to abdicate his duty and responsibility to those migrants and asylum seekers, transferring said duties and responsibilities to the County of Orange Government; and
WHEREAS, The City of New York is advertising and printing brochures for migrants and asylum seekers promoting long-term housing solutions in Orange County for at least four months and which is believed will be longer, if not permanent; and
WHEREAS, according to the promotional brochures by New York City, that migrants/asylum seekers will also receive medical care, food, laundry and other necessities, only initially to be funded by the City of New York; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Adams has represented to Orange County officials that approximately only 60 adult male migrant and/or asylum seekers will be transported to Orange County. However, 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; and
WHEREAS, there is no reason to believe that these migrants or asylum seekers will leave Orange County after New York City ceases to pay for the housing and any services they are presently receiving in New York City, or that many thousands more migrants or asylum seekers will not be transported to Orange County; and
WHEREAS, there is reasonable apprehension of immediate danger of public emergency of potentially thousands of persons being transported to Orange County and that Orange County will be responsible for the public safety of these persons and all others effected in Orange County; and
WHEREAS, The County of Orange is not capable of receiving and sustaining such volume of migrants and asylum seekers that New York City intends to or hereafter does transport to the County, whose presence will spike the number of people in need of government services at all levels of government in the County; and
WHEREAS, there is no legal basis to provide adequate services to these migrants or asylum seekers by the County's Department of Social Services because of their age and immigration status; and
WHEREAS, 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; and
WHEREAS, local zoning codes do not allow the 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; and
WHEREAS, through enforcement of local zoning codes, said migrants and/or asylum seekers will face refusal, or eviction from the illegal hotels and short-term residential facilities, resulting in large-scale homelessness for these migrants and asylum seekers; and
WHEREAS, as all temporary housing shelter beds in Orange County are currently at maximum capacity and cannot accommodate additional homeless individuals; and
WHEREAS, the locations for which Mayor Adams intends to transport said migrants and/or asylum seekers have inadequate infrastructure to meet the needs of said individuals, including but not limited to transportation to work, food, medical care, and pharmaceutical opportunities; and
WHEREAS, that due to the above circumstances, 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; and
NOW, THEREFORE, I hereby declare, in order to protect life and property, or to bring the emergency situation under control, a State of Emergency in the County of Orange and make the following ORDER:
I Order that all hotels, motels and/or any facilities allowing short-term rentals do not accept said migrants and/or asylum seekers for housing within Orange County.
This proclamation/declaration and the orders in relation thereto are pursuant to my powers contained within the Orange County Charter (Section 3.02-0) and Administrative Code (Section 3-2-q) and Section 24 of the Executive Law of the State of New York
I FURTHER FIND that this State of Emergency does not in any way impact travel or County employees or County operations, is not weather related, and does not suspend County operations. This Executive Order and all portions thereof shall take effect immediately, be filed and published as required by law, and individually expire as required by law.
Steven M. Neuhaus
Orange County Executive