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WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. July 13, 2023:
It has been six weeks since County Executive George Latimer and Governor Kathy Hochul pleaded with the Biden Administration to designate judges to establish an interim amnesty court to expedite processing migrants currently housed in three locations in Westchester.
The two top New York State leaders also wanted the migrants to be allowed to work in the county while they stay here and asked for monetary help to house the immigrants and pay for security, health, safety costs. I believe money has been promised, but it is policy toward what happens to the migrants now that matters urgently
Now.
Despite Hochul and Latimer letters sent to the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, six weeks ago, there has been no action yet on either of those two requests.
New York City has been unable to move migrants to other locations in Westchester to relieve the approximately 100,000 homeless and migrant population severely stressing the homeless shelters and services in the city.
Perhaps coincidently, no more migrants currently swelling the New York City homeless facilities have been sent to Westchester to be housed at the request of Mayor Eric Adams.
I asked the county if it has received more requests from Mayor Adams to house more migrants whose numbers fill the NYC shelters in other locations. So far the county has not responded.
I asked the county also if they have other hotels, motels, churches, county facilities or any location at all willing to increase Westchester ability to take on more migrants and relieve New York City. Again, the county has not responded.
It has been six weeks.
The migrants have been model guests according to the County Executive George Latimer. If the county is expecting more migrants shifted to Westchester, a list of possible vacant or commercial venues must be lined up. I hope the county has done this. The county did not respond to this question.
Hopefully Mr. Mayorkis will fit in at least a phone call to Governor Hochul and Mr. Latimer or in interest of time, make a conference call. Please if you have the time, call Mayor Tom Roach of White Plains, Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers and Mayor of Ardsley whose cities have stepped up to help the migrants and accept Mayor Adams’ pleas for migrant housing to give them an update too.
They are waiting for your call, too.
Not to do so when M. Mayorkis and his bosses have had six weeks since Hochul and Latimer made the request for an Anmesty court and right to work for migrants, he and the Biden Administration plenty of time to think about it is a slap in the face to Governor Kathy Hochul and County Executive George Latimer, and every citizen of New York State and New York City.
While you are here take a plane ride over Rockland, Orange counties, tell FEMA to get a move on and help homeowners who have suffered enormous loss. Trailers, construction crews and money. NOW. We’ve got a disaster here.
The Biden Administration does not care. The priorities are out of whack.
Mayorkis is meeting in a panel discussion with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials this morning. He will also observe U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation at the International Mail Facility to inspect counter narcotics efforts and talk about ongoing DHS operations to stop fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs throughout the country.
Could you fit our Governor and our County Executive and Mayor Adams in, sir?
The Biden Administration is once more kicking the migrant can down the road.
The Biden administration refused to stop states from shipping migrants by bus to New York, instead of collecting them and sending them back.
This politically and physically inept, lack of foresight, is a failure to prevent a nationally disrupting practice enabled unwittingly by irresponsible inept leadership in the Biden administration who did not want to handle the situation. “Hands off” was their policy.
This recalls the State Department refusal to accept Jewish refugees during the 1930s and the course of World War II. (The policy was unflinchingly documented by letters from the U.S. Ambassador in the historical novel In the Garden of the Beast)
Meanwhile in the hot steaming summer of 2023 in New York, the migrants and the rest of New York City homeless are packed in in limbo.
At a standstill: Failure to act on the Hochul Latimer requestions for Asylum Court and migrant allowed to work.
Mayor Adams is stuck. With no policy from the U.S. Government to deciminate migrants orderly and humanely in New York State, the migrant situation is not being addressed.
Let us hope they are not abandoned and sent back to the gang governments of the countries they have fled.
The Biden administration totally mismanaged the Afghan withdrawal.
They are mismanaging this one, too.