Activists and several elected officials gathered outside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office at the Capitol in Albany on Monday to open two hotels in the state's capital region housing hundreds of migrants. protested the closure.
New York City has a “right to shelter” law that requires the city to provide shelter to those who request it, leaving no other option.
Protest organizers said they were advocating for Hochul to intervene to stop the evictions of migrants and provide new state funding to protect them.
Speaking during the protest, Angelica Pérez Delgado, president of the pro-immigration nonprofit Ibero-American Action League, said: “What we need now is to make sure we don't evict people from hotels. We need the governor's leadership and funding.” Hochul now plans to fund at least six months' worth of housing and related services. ”
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Rosa de la Cruz of the Ibero-American Action League, speaking as a coalition of elected officials and the public, called on New York Governor Cathy Hochul and state legislators to stop Albany during the rally. It called for emergency funding to prevent asylum seekers from being evicted from hotels. December 9, 2024 at the Capitol. (Hans Pennink, FOX News Digital)
Immigrants in Albany are staying at the Ramada Plaza and the Holiday Inn Express, both of which are paid for by the New York City government and are scheduled to close this month.
The hundreds in Albany are just a fraction of the 58,000 immigrants New York City holds and the more than 223,000 who have received taxpayer assistance since 2022.
The city is expected to spend $987 million over two years on contract hotels for tens of thousands of immigrants, according to a report released this year by the New York City Comptroller's Office. The city is expected to spend more than $12 billion by fiscal year 2025 to address the migrant surge.
But since President-elect Donald Trump's election last month, the city has moved to scale back its shelter program, closing about a dozen shelters by the end of the year.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has led a number of efforts to crack down on services for immigrants. (Mayor Michael Appleton Photo Office)
“For far too long, we have wasted taxpayer money,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has backed a number of moves to crack down on services for immigrants.
The city has already closed two hotel-turned-immigrant shelters: the Hotel Merritt in Manhattan and the Quality Inn JFK in Queens. Eight additional shelters in Dutchess, Erie, Orange and Westchester counties are also scheduled to close by the end of the year.
The protest against the closure was organized by a group called the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and a coalition of local nonprofits.
Brian McCormack, co-executive director of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, one of the leaders of the protest, said immigrant families “are forced to give up their jobs or uproot their lives to return to New York City shelters. It shouldn't be done.”
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Columbia County Sanctuary Movement Co-Executive Director Brian McCormack speaks during a rally at the Capitol in Albany, New York, December 9, 2024 (Hans Pennink, Fox News Digital)
After the rally, McCormack said in an interview on Fox News Digital that it was important to quickly find shelter for migrants as New York's harsh winter approaches. He also said New York City used the crisis and immigration as a “political football” and “mismanaged the entire process.”
He said the migrants sheltered at the hotel have “already established gainful employment and livelihoods here” and are “significant contributors to New York's community, culture and economy.”
“As a native of upstate New York, I am passionate about how immigrant communities touch our lives as New Yorkers, from the food we put on our tables, to the revitalization of our cities through construction, to the care we provide to the sick and elderly across the state. “We see the impact every day through the pandemic and now,” he said. “Therefore, we hope they will continue to contribute to the culture and economy of the Capital Region and integrate fully into our community.”
But New York State Assemblyman Matt Slater told Fox News Digital that protesters outside Hochul's office “don't understand” New Yorkers' true feelings about the immigration crisis. .
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Migrants outside two shelters in Brooklyn, New York, on July 24, 2024. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
“New Yorkers are experiencing it,” he said. “My constituents want accountability. They want to make sure we live in a state that respects the rule of law and understands that illegal immigration is illegal. No more.”
A majority of New York voters (54% to 35%) believe the state supports, rather than opposes, the incoming Trump administration's efforts to deport illegal immigrants in the state, according to a Siena poll released this week. I think it should.
“This is a big concern for Hudson Valley voters,” Slater said. “If people are protesting the fact that we are finally getting serious about illegal immigration, they should open their doors and welcome these people. By all means, no one can stop them. But… To sit here and say taxpayers have to take the lead, spending billions of dollars to continue to incentivize people who break our laws is insane and insane.”
A majority of New York voters (54% to 35%) say the state should support, rather than oppose, the incoming Trump administration's efforts to deport illegal immigrants in the state, according to a recent Siena poll. is the answer. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images/File)
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Slater said he is hopeful the Trump administration will crack down on the border, but New York state and city governments must also do their part.
Slater said New York, a sanctuary state, allocated $4.3 billion in taxpayer money in its latest budget to provide a variety of services for immigrants, including housing, clothing, food and cell phones. .
“We cannot continue to allow state and city governments to continue to use tax dollars to encourage illegal immigration,” he said. “It's wrong and it has to end.”
