Seven Western New York counties have declared states of emergency aimed at blocking New York City from sending an overflow of migrants and asylum-seekers to area hotels.
Niagara County on Thursday issued an emergency order that prohibits hotel operators from contracting with government entities outside of the county to house or transport migrants or asylum-seekers without the approval of the county Legislature.
Chautauqua and Wyoming counties also issued similar orders on Thursday, followed by Allegany County on Friday.
Orleans, Genesee and Cattaraugus counties issued their orders on Wednesday.
Only Erie County has declined to take this step.
New York City is amid a housing crisis, with more than 60,000 migrants arriving within the past year, forcing city officials to look for housing options outside the city, including busing people to hotels in neighboring Rockland and Orange counties.
Niagara County Legislature Majority Leader Randy Bradt said he wanted no part of it.
“New York City decided it would be a sanctuary city and welcome those who entered the country illegally and now that this ill-conceived policy has produced the predictable results, it appears state and city officials are looking to upstate counties to bail them out,” Bradt said in a statement Thursday. “We are not without compassion, but we simply lack the resources to do it.”
Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne M. Johnson said in an emergency declaration Wednesday that “this situation is a threat to public safety.”
But she said the declaration was not due to concerns about asylum-seekers possibly coming upstate.
“We did it because we have no housing availability,” said Johnson. “Our homeless population has increased over 150% since Covid.”
Genesee County Manager Matt Landers said the county isn’t shutting out migrants entirely. Officials don’t want a crush of people to arrive unexpectedly, as has happened in some other counties, he said.
“So, this was…
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