There are now declarations of emergency over the influx of migrants in 25 New York counties.
Blue-state Democrats continue to face a dilemma in dealing with asylum seekers: They are rhetorically and ideologically committed to the theory that only racists and xenophobes would see any practical problem with an open door to unlimited immigration, but in practice, they are at wit’s end figuring out where to put these people without enraging their own constituents or their neighbors. Thus, we see New York City mayor Eric Adams trying to dump migrants onto the suburbs and Chicago’s former and current mayor facing a backlash for putting them in school buildings and parks. Now, New York governor Kathy Hochul is apparently floating another idea: college dorms.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has identified dorms on three SUNY campuses to use as housing sites for migrants, according to a source. The source told NY1 the plan includes a total of 1,500 beds at the University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University and the University at Albany. . . .
In a statement provided to Spectrum News, a SUNY spokesperson said: “At Governor Hochul’s direction, we are assessing whether there are SUNY resources available to help with the arrival of asylum seekers.” Hochul last week said her administration was working with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to identify “welcoming” sites for migrants housing across the state. The governor said the state was looking at sites including campuses and “shuttered psychiatric facilities” as possible housing options. “Clearly a SUNY campus lends itself to immediate help, but long-term, we have to have it free by August. So, what happens in August?” Hochul said in an interview with Spectrum News.
As Spectrum notes, there are now declarations of emergency over the influx of migrants in 25 New York counties, including suburban Rockland and Orange counties and their Hudson Valley neighbors in Dutchess and Sullivan counties. Not coincidentally, Hochul lost all 25 counties to Lee Zeldin in November, and many of them have Republican county governments. While SUNY Buffalo and Albany are in blue counties, Stony Brook is in Zeldin’s home county of Suffolk on Long Island, where the Republican county government is unlikely to welcome this move. And it may prove more controversial if, as Hochul acknowledges, the plan continues into the fall semester.