Monroe County issues emergency order over migrant housing
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Monroe County Executive Adam Bello issued an emergency order Tuesday relating to what he called “an unprecedented shortage of emergency housing.”
Bello said the order prevents hotels, motels, shelters, and more from entering a contract to provide emergency shelter until an emergency housing plan is submitted to and approved by the Monroe County Department of Human Services.
“Monroe County welcomes people from all over the world,” Bello said in a statement issued Tuesday. “This Emergency Order does not prevent migrants from coming to Monroe County while they await resolution of their legal asylum application. Rather, it ensures that if migrants need to be housed here, it is done so in a thoughtful way with a reasonable plan in place to protect everyone involved.”
Bello said he was already and would continue coordinating with Governor Kathy Hochul and her team in order to “navigate this situation successfully.”
Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming Counties are among the many others in New York State to issue emergency orders since Hochul announced she was considering SUNY campuses as a potential way to relieve the influx of asylum-seekers in New York City.
Hochul met with members of Congress on May 17 to discuss the issue.
“We’re looking at all locations,” Hochul said at the next day. “We have a challenge. We have over 71,000 people and more are arriving. This is a situation no one asked for, but we are responsible for dealing with it.”
Steuben County announced Tuesday that it would not issue a state of emergency yet, with officials there saying they had no reason to believe anyone seeking asylum would be placed in the county in the near future.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Read the county executive’s release
Statement from Monroe Co. Republican Candidate for County Executive Mark Assini
Source: RochesterFirst
