Guests abruptly kicked out of Super 8 in Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM — The Super 8 motel on Carman Road abruptly kicked out guests from all of the rooms at the establishment Tuesday without saying why, but a Schenectady County official cited information received about asylum-seekers.
A statement from County Manager Rory Fluman late Tuesday said:
“We were recently made aware that a local motel contracted with the city of New York to host a group of asylum-seekers. Because immigration is governed by federal law, the county does not have jurisdiction in these matters. However, we are disappointed that the city of New York did not reach out to us directly to inform us of their plans.
‘The county acknowledges that these individuals have certain rights under federal law and that business owners are free to operate in their best interest. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional information as it becomes available.’
Staff at the motel refused to talk to a Times Union reporter earlier in the day. Neither Town Supervisor Mollie Collins nor Schenectady County Attorney Chris Gardner returned calls seeking comment.
Guests were told they had to leave in the morning. A sign posted in the lobby said the motel was closing and that longtime guests had 60 days to pick up their cash deposits.
Alicia Cartland had lived at the motel with her 14-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter since October due to its affordable rates and proximity to her job at the local Taco Bell.
Cartland said she found out about the closure from management Tuesday morning, leaving her and her children just hours to pack up their belongings and find a new place to live.
“I was like, 'Oh my God — are you kidding me? ,'” Cartland said as she waited for a ride outside the motel. “I should have known earlier and had more time to figure out what to do now.”
Town Board Member Joe Mastroianni said the ouster was done to make room for asylum-seekers.
He noted how “they told everyone in the hotel to get out in 90-degree heat and stand in the parking lot with all their belongings.”
Colonie and Albany have been among the upstate communities that last month received busloads of migrants from New York City, which experienced strain on its social services from an influx of asylum-seekers. The arrivals in the Capital Region prompted pushback from some elected officials.
“People are looking for the town to do something, but it’s frustrating because I don’t know what we can do,” Mastroianni said. “We don’t have a border wall, we can’t control who comes in and out of our town. … If we passed a resolution, who would enforce it?”
Source: Times Union
