TOWN OF CRAWFORD TOWN BOARD
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE RELOCATION OF
MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AND
AUTHORIZING COMMENCEMENT OF LEGAL ACTION
WHEREAS, there is a national immigration crisis at the border between the United States and Mexico in that unprecedented and overwhelming numbers of migrants and asylum seekers are crossing over the border of the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Federal government has failed or refused to anticipate and react to the exigent and emergent circumstances, resulting in thousands of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of New York City has failed to adequately address the needs of said migrants and asylum seekers transferred to or otherwise arrived in New York City, and has recently undertaken to relocate hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers to locations in the Hudson Valley and to use local hotels as shelters or dormitory facilities for housing them; and
WHEREAS, the City of New York has not communicated any plan for supervising, processing, and/or providing services to the migrants and asylum seekers who are being transported to Hudson Valley hotels; and
WHEREAS, the use of such hotels by the City of New York as migrant shelters or dormitory facilities is of unknown and indeterminate length, and may last for months or longer; and
WHEREAS, the City of New York has not provided, nor offered to provide, any funds or assistance to the Hudson Valley communities where migrants and asylum seekers are being sent to defray the additional service costs those communities will incur due to the use of local hotels as shelters or dormitory facilities, such as costs related to police and fire protection, emergency services, medical facilities and other services and needs; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Crawford lacks the facilities, services capacity, and funds to provide adequate shelter, assistance, and basic necessities to dependent migrants and asylum seekers that the City of New York is transferring to the Hudson Valley; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Crawford has enacted a zoning code to protect and preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the Town's residents and property owners; and
WHEREAS, the Town's zoning code does not allow the use of hotels or other temporary residence facilities, including camps, for use as long-term residential housing such as shelters or dormitories; and
WHEREAS, New York City's transportation of migrants and asylum seekers to the Town for that purpose is illegal; and
WHEREAS, violation of the Town of Crawford Zoning Code is illegal activity which subjects the offender to both criminal prosecution and civil liability; and
WHEREAS, migrants and asylum seekers could face refusal or eviction from such illegal hotels and short-term residential facilities by the owners thereof, resulting in homelessness for these migrants and asylum seekers.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Town Supervisor, the Town Building Inspector, and the Town's attorneys to commence civil and/or criminal actions against any property owner and operator who illegally uses property as a shelter or dormitory facility.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Town Supervisor and the Town's attorneys to commence a civil action against the City of New York in the event that it undertakes to illegally utilize hotels or other facilities in the Town of Crawford as illegal shelters or dormitory facilities.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this Resolution, along with a letter demanding action to put a stop to New York City's illegal transportation and housing of migrants and asylum seekers in the Hudson Valley, shall be sent to the Mayor of the City of New York, the Town's representatives in the New York State Legislature, and to Governor Kathy Hochul.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this Resolution shall be sent to every hotel and temporary residence facility in the Town of Crawford, along with a letter advising the hotel or other facility owners that use of their facilities as a shelter or dormitory facility is illegal and will subject them to criminal prosecution and civil liability.
On the motion of Council Member Michael Menendez seconded by Council Member Angelina Jadrossich the foregoing resolution was adopted on a vote of 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
Dated: May 18, 2023