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(CNN) — Officials in Orange and Rockland counties have already taken action after New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced last week that the city would temporarily move some immigrants by bus to hotels in neighboring counties. In an attempt to thwart the plan, a lawsuit was filed, despite the arrival of some immigrants from the department.
Counties have also issued executive orders barring the arrival of immigrants and asylum seekers.
One of the lawsuits, obtained by CNN, was filed in state court in Orange County, alleging that the city’s plan exceeded its authority, violated county executive orders, and circumvented the shelter’s licensing requirements. The lawsuit is pending, asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the city’s plans.
Orange County officials “manage the burden of the city’s defendants and the responsibilities they have assumed within their boundaries by shoving residents without a plan into a county that is already overburdened with responsibilities to its own citizens.” We oppose illegal and erroneous attempts to do so,” the paper said. litigation.
Adams said the new program will provide temporary shelter for up to four months to asylum-seeking adult men already in city custody to secure work permits.
Days after Adams announced plans for Orange and Rockland counties, Orange County Chief Executive Stephen Neuhaus issued an executive order banning immigrants from staying in the county’s hotels.
Rockland County filed its own lawsuit Tuesday night. The lawsuit, filed in Rockland County Supreme Court, alleges that Mayor Adams’ plan to bus immigrants to hotels in the city exceeded the city’s legal authority.
On Friday, a judge issued a temporary injunction against Adams’ plan, blocking the city from transporting immigrants to hotels in Rockland County. The city said it plans to appeal the restraining order. A court hearing is scheduled for May 30 to determine whether the order will be extended.
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Orange and Rockland counties for blocking the arrival of asylum seekers from New York City, according to court documents.
“explicitly demand” when giving orders[ing] “Immigrants” and “asylum seekers” from New York City are being barred from coming into the county, and the county is also seeking to bar local hotels from offering rooms to immigrants for a period of time,” the county said in the Due Process and Equal Protection Clause. violated. Under the U.S. Constitution, according to the complaint.
“We are not facing any lawsuits,” Neuhaus said when asked by CNN for comment on Thursday. CNN reached out to Rockland and Orange County officials on Saturday for further comment on the NYCLU lawsuit.
Rockland County officials said in a statement that they do not normally comment on pending lawsuits, but that they “have a strong sense of what is happening.” [they] Their actions are right and lawful, as evidenced by a temporary restraining order issued by the court on Thursday. ”
The Orange County complaint details multiple instances of the city’s alleged “hoaxes.”
The complaint alleges that Orange County officials believed the city had planned to move 60 people to one hotel in the county, only to find out later that the city planned to move more than 600 people to two hotels. It was found that The county claims this will more than double its homeless population, which stood at about 437 last month, according to the complaint.
After the county issued the executive order, officials were “explicitly assured” by the city that they would not dispatch buses for the foreseeable future, according to the complaint.
“Nevertheless, despite these assurances, the bus showed up without notice at the hotel on May 11, 2023 and dropped off a homeless man in accordance with the city’s illegal transfer plan,” the complaint states. ing.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Mayor Adams’ Office said the city was “discussing legal and safety concerns with our state partners,” and the city had temporarily suspended bus transportation of immigrants out of New York City. added that “the plan has not changed.” A spokeswoman for Mayor Adams’ office said on Thursday that Neuhaus’ statement, which allegedly assured him no asylum seekers would arrive in Orange County from the city, was inaccurate.
“New York City has sheltered, fed and cared for more than 65,000 immigrants and has done so with little or no trouble,” spokesman Fabian Levy said in a statement Friday. .
“We need the federal government to strengthen, but until the federal government does, other elected officials in the state and across the country must do their part. seeks to manage less than 1% of asylum seekers who come to New York City, with New York City paying for shelter, meals and services.We are considering legal options. .”
Orange County also filed a separate complaint Friday against two hotels in the county that plan to accommodate immigrants from New York City. The complaint seeks to prevent the hotel from accepting asylum seekers or “converting” them to homeless shelters, which it claims violates county executive orders.
The city of Newburgh, located in Orange County, also filed a complaint against one of the hotels. The lawsuit alleges that the immigrants’ housing was not permitted under the building’s occupancy certificate, violating the town’s municipal ordinance and building codes.
“The mayor’s program did not consider or address local zoning, building, or fire laws governing proposed or ‘selected’ residential lots,” the complaint states.
After Orange County issued the executive order, a Newburgh inspector visited the hotel and noticed “altered beds, additional bedding, and changes to guest room amenities,” the complaint says. The next day, the hotel received two bus passengers from the city, according to the complaint.
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