Judge halts Rockland County hotel from accepting NYC migrants
A judge halted a Rockland County hotel from accepting migrants bused from New York City by issuing a temporary restraining order on Tuesday.
The Armoni Inn has been barred from housing migrants at their hotel – at least for now – after Orangetown officials took them to court over the city’s plan to ship asylum seekers from Big Apple shelters to hotels in Rockland and Orange counties.
Since Friday’s announcement by City Hall, local officials in both counties have voiced condemnation and residents have expressed fear and outrage.
State Supreme Court Judge Christie D’Alessio sided with Orangetown Tuesday when she issued a temporary restraining order that stops the hotel from turning into a shelter for non-transient guests, according to court documents.
The order also slammed the brakes on the hotel making any changes without the proper permits.
The defendants in the legal action, made up of three LLCs, and Orangetown are due back in court Monday at 9:30 a.m. where D’Alessio will hear oral arguments on whether to issue a preliminary injunction.
The hotel staff had no comment Tuesday and the hotel owner could not be reached for comment. No migrants were at the hotel Tuesday night.
City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy said in a Tuesday night statement that the city will let the legal process play out in relation to the Armoni Inn, but said “our plan is still to move a small number of asylum seekers to Orange County tomorrow, barring any security issues.”
Armoni Inn and Suites can’t house migrants from NYC for now, a judge said. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
The Acting Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park said during a City Council hearing Monday the city-run busing program would begin this week.
“I believe we anticipate for it to launch this week, but again this is a situation that is evolving rapidly on the ground,” Park said.
Orangetown argued Armoni Inn and Suites does not have the proper building and zoning approvals to house the migrants because they would be staying at the hotel for an extended period.
The city has taken in thousands of migrants over the last year. Christopher Sadowski
Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny said Monday the town estimated about 340 single adults would reside at the hotel, noting the hotel cannot allow guests to stay longer than 30 days, per town code.
Before Orangetown’s legal action, Rockland County Executive Ed Day declared a state of emergency over the weekend in an effort to stop the asylum seekers.
Levy, in his Tuesday night statement, slammed Day over his resistance to the city’s migrant relocation plan.
“The Rockland County executive has already shown he is incapable of managing less than ¼ of 1% of the asylum seekers who have come to New York City, even with New York paying for shelter, food, and services, and all this temporary order shows is that he is incapable of demonstrating a shred of the humane and compassionate care New York City has shown over the past year,” said Levy.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus issued a similar emergency declaration late Monday that would prohibit hotels, motels and other short-term rentals from allowing migrants to stay there.
Gotham has received tens of thousands of migrants that crossed over the southern border and then were bused to the Big Apple from Texas.
Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has said repeatedly the city doesn’t have the resources to care for the thousands of newcomers and has pleaded with the federal government to provide robust assistance.
Source: New York Post
