Otsego County Declares
State of Emergency
Housing Crisis Executive Order Also Issued
OTSEGO COUNTY—Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman David Bliss has declared a State of Emergency in Otsego County effective May 16, as asylum seekers are expected to arrive in New York now that the federal Title 42 immigration policy has expired.
Title 42, issued during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed authorities to turn away migrants at the U.S. borders as a public health measure to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and to deter illegal border crossings. As a result, the processing of asylum applications was nearly halted as well. Now, after more than three years, the public health emergency has lapsed and the emergency immigration restriction has ended.
The county State of Emergency was issued in concert with Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Order “Declaring a Disaster Emergency in the State of New York.” The Otsego County State of Emergency will last for 30 days, until June 15.
Gov. Hochul’s EO No. 28 reads, in part, “…the arrival of increased numbers of migrants seeking shelter in the City and State of New York is expected to exacerbate an already large-scale humanitarian crisis and create a disaster emergency to which local governments are unable to adequately respond, creating a threat to health and safety, which could result in the loss of life or property…”
A press release on the governor’s website said the EO was issued to help provide aid to asylum seekers expected to arrive in New York upon expiration of Title 42 on May 11.
“The Executive Order will provide the state with greater flexibility to procure the resources necessary for municipalities to support asylum seekers while also allowing the state to increase the number of National Guard service members providing logistical and operational support,” the press release reads.
Chairman Bliss also issued an Executive Order pursuant to Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, which addresses Otsego County’s housing crisis due to the limited number of temporary and permanent housing, along with the county’s financial and logistical inability to receive and sustain any number of migrants and/or asylum seekers.
The Otsego County EO will provide the county with access to potential federal and/or state funding necessary for support of any asylum seekers who may arrive in Otsego County.
“The EO will be in effect for five days ending May 20. We expect the EO will be extended several times to allow for extensive community comment and for the full board to weigh in at the Board of Representatives’ next public meeting on June 7,” Bliss said. “There are a lot of predictions and speculation, but very little actual data at the moment.”
Bliss said officials are currently assessing the potential impact of migrants coming into Otsego County and evaluating the capability of the county to provide support.
“I am concerned if we do not properly plan for any influx of migrants resulting from the change in federal Title 42, we may see a substantial increase in homelessness in our communities, as well as an excessive financial burden on the citizens of Otsego County,” Bliss explained.
“State and/or federal funding must accompany any relocations so as not to deplete our already limited resources dedicated to the care of our existing homeless and distressed population,” he said.
Do not house or support any illegal immigrants! Send them back and let them do it the right way!!
Illegal immigrants should not be housed in our county. We are not a sanctuary town or county.
If you voted DNC don’t complain your Getty what you asked for.
I agree with Bliss. But hopefully illegals will not be accepted into Otsego County. New York City needs to handle their own problems. I do not believe nor trust mayor Adams in anyway who might offer to pay for the costs to provide housing, food and resources for these illegals. The bottom line is that these people are “illegals” and obviously are disrespectful towards the laws of the land. We don’t know how many are criminals, cartels, and smugglers. Although I am sympathetic for the women and children who illegally travel to the U.S., still they have jeopardized the lives of their children and babies and we don’t know whether or not their husbands are amongst the many men who enter into the country. The bottom line is that it is all a big joke on those who do not realize this is nothing more than disrespect for the laws of the land. We don’t need to change our laws. What we need to do is enforce our laws and ensure that anyone who wants to come to the U.S. has to enter properly with valid ID and passports. If you read the variety of news sources you will see that for the most part these people who are illegal cause problems. One example is after some illegals entered into NYC they were housed in NYC at the Watson Hotel. Then after they were asked to leave and informed they would be sheltered in a new facility in Brooklyn, they protested. So do we need more “protestors”? No we do not. But it shows the arrogance of some of these people who felt now they are in the U.S. they have rights. Plus they complained about the food they were given at the Watson Hotel in NYC and they threw it out because it was “sandwiches” and they wanted food they were accustomed to eating in their own countries. Do you wonder about the El Salvadorians who come here and say they are escaping persecution? Look up and read about the new prison the President of El Salvador built and see how he has been cracking down on crime and criminals. So I would have to wonder how many of those men who come to the U.S. claiming they are escaping persecution if they are simply escaping being put in prison. This issue of illegals entering into the U.S. is major complex. If migrants are taken in, I believe it will cause huge financial hardship to Otsego County. Further more considering the fact most of these illegals have not been vetted, we do not know whether or not they have been criminals in the countries they left. If illegals are taken into any part of Otsego County, then Delaware County and soon Broome County and other surrounding counties might also be affected. The bottom line is the economy in Otsego and Delaware Counties would never provide work for these people. If they come into the area then it will be a major drain and cause serious hardships on all of the surrounding towns because of lack of jobs and housing. These people really should be sent back to where they came from. When you read they claim economic and political hardship, remember that here in the U.S. we also suffer from economic and politic hardship but we stay. The U.S. cannot help everyone in the world especially because the U.S. cannot even help itself. Otsego, Delaware, Broome and other surrounding upstate counties should not be burdened with housing these illegals.