COLONEY — A group of asylum seekers displaced from New York City arrived at the Colony Hotel early Sunday morning, one of several groups in the upstate it’s now hosting as the city says it can’t handle the steady stream of tens of thousands of international migrants. who got there.
About 25 men transferred from New York City entered the Shore Stay Plus from the Best Western on Wolf Road in Colony sometime after midnight, said Colony Superintendent Peter Crommie. “Bienviedos, Bem-vindos, Welcome!” read a handwritten note on a large sheet of paper at the hotel entrance on Sunday.
A company called DocGo, contracted by New York City, was present at SureStay to help with logistics — along with at least four security guards to keep the public and media away from asylum seekers. There was also the non-profit District of Columbia Reserve movement, as well as Albany attorneys. A shuttle was also taking those Sunday newly arrived to nearby locations, such as ShopRite, the post office on Central Avenue, and the main branch of the Albany Public Library. The SureStay owner was on site Sunday and declined to comment.
A man from Venezuela named Angelo, 34, was in the hotel lobby Sunday with about half a dozen other men, either waiting to speak with lawyers or to board the shuttle bus. Everyone was dressed in tracksuits, some had baseball caps and everyone had a “guest ID badge” hanging around their neck so they could check in and check out.
“We just arrived, and so far we’ve received very little information,” Angelo told the Times Union through an interpreter. He added that he was fine, but tired.
Angelou’s journey across the United States began at least two weeks ago in El Paso, Texas, before he says he traveled through Louisiana and up the East Coast to New York City. Once there, he said he got vague information about the availability of work in the northern region. He said he took the arduous journey from South America alone.
The asylum seekers arrived in Colony just hours after the city supervisor sent a lengthy statement Saturday night alleging that New York City Mayor Eric Adams failed to notify the Albany County Executive Office of the plan, a violation of a county executive order issued on Tuesday.
“The county executive has issued an order that requires cooperation, coordination, and a well-thought-out plan among state, county, and local officials as well as non-profit organizations. That has not been done with the town of Colony,” Karume said Sunday.
In his statement, Crame wrote that the Wolf Road area was not equipped to serve “an influx of people whose health, dietary, and behavioral histories are unknown.” When Sunday was asked what he meant by “behavioral history,” the superintendent said the town had not been informed about social services asylum seekers might request upon placement.
He noted that the May 23 executive order issued by Dan McCoy in Albany County requires the county to be notified to coordinate housing for immigrants and asylum seekers who are relocated here, and that only the county social services commissioner can issue licenses to hotels, motels, or other housing for home groups. of people. Karami emphasized that his frustration was more about the lack of coordination than about the asylum seekers themselves, adding that he was not notified of the shelter plan until late Friday night and that the delay felt “contrived” and “purposeful”.
With Albany designated a city of sanctuary, Karami questioned why there wasn’t more push to move immigrants within city lines since he says there are more resources available within walking distance.
“I am shocked that they would not have really fought to take in these people who have been victimized while being transported across the country. This is about the welfare of immigrants and Adams has shown a complete disregard for their safety.” The Wolf Road Hotel has run into problems, Karami said, with more than 200 police contacting him in the past 18 months.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan responded later Saturday night in her own statement, saying, “The Colony town supervisor’s statement that the City of Albany had a hand in directing the bus to a hotel on Wolf Road is an outright lie.”
She told the Times Union in an interview Sunday that she was notified Thursday during a call with New York City officials that buses of asylum seekers would be sent to Albany “soon.” When informed of the locations chosen, she said she replied that two of the hotels on Wolf Road—Motel 6 and ShoreStay—were not in Albany and that Colony officials should be contacted. She also said she then called McCoy and gave him details of the conversation.
Sheehan was later informed that only one bus would arrive and that it would be sent to SureStay, she said.
Albany zip code hotel can explain why the entity chose this location to house people. “These were decisions made by people who weren’t really looking at a map and were looking at these Albany addresses,” Sheehan added.
The Ramada Inn, located at 3 Watervliet Street in Albany, was named as a possible site to house immigrants, but was met with concern from Sheehan, who expressed concerns about the number of police calls the city was getting. “This is a vulnerable demographic and I think the City of New York has to ensure that they are not placed in an environment where they can be exploited,” she said, adding that the City of Albany provided the names of other hotels within the city. The names of those hotels were not specified.
The county executive was in touch with the mayor late Friday night, noting that he was trying to “avoid sending personnel to the Colony,” according to Sheehan, who called the city supervisor’s response “morally reprehensible.”
She said, “These are human beings who are here legally, who want asylum in our country, and with all evidence they will do anything and everything to ensure that they abide by the law so that they can get asylum in our country.”
McCoy issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying Albany County should really address its backcountry issue, with 730 individuals currently in need of permanent housing.
“Sending immigrants to us without a plan in place is not the answer,” McCoy’s statement read. “We need direct contact with Mayor Adams to find the best solution, so this doesn’t lead to more chaos.”
Brendan G. Lyons and Steve Hughes contributed to this story.
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