Bello issues executive order in anticipation of possible influx of migrants

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello on Tuesday issued an executive order in anticipation of the possible arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers and migrants from New York City.

The move comes less than two weeks after New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned officials from across the state that he may send as many as 300 people by bus to any of New York’s 62 counties at any time. Adams said that New York City was anticipating the arrival of approximately 3,000 migrants during the first week after Title 42 expired on May 12.

State officials have said they expect to see a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers and migrants arriving in New York. In response, Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration and several other communities have declared states of emergency.

"Other municipalities, whether inside or outside of New York State, transporting busloads of migrant families to a hotel within our community without a plan in place to support them, is not fair to our residents, and is not fair to the migrants who would be housed here," Bello said. "Clear communication and coordination is essential if we are to navigate this situation successfully, which is why I have had a continued dialogue with the Governor’s Office,her Commissioners, as well as fellow County Executives across the state facing the same challenges."

The order prevents any hotel, motel, shelter, or other multiple-dwelling units from entering into a contract with anyentity to provide emergency shelter unless an Emergency Housing Plan is submitted to the Monroe County Department of Human Services and receives approval.

"This plan must demonstrate that arrangements have been made to ensure any individuals brought to Monroe County will receive adequate housing and necessary support services, and have their fundamental needs met for the duration of their stay," Bello said.

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A number of counties in the state have already declared states of emergency, including Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming. Albany County issued a similar executive order on Tuesday, according to Bello.

"Monroe County welcomes people from all over the world," Bello said. "This Emergency Order does notprevent migrants from coming to Monroe County while they await resolution of their legalasylum application. Rather, it ensures that if migrants need to be housed here, it is done so in athoughtful way with a reasonable plan in place to protect everyone involved."

The executive order went into effect immediately upon signing, and will remain in effect for five days, although it could be extended.

Bello said the County was already working to adsress a housing crisis and an unprecedented shortage of emergency housing available to support individuals experiencing homelessness.

"Monroe County’s Department of Human Services works daily to address these shortfalls, but continues to face difficulties in identifying adequate emergency housing and providing supportive services to those in need of suchhousing," Bello said. "We expect any surge locally will exacerbate our housing shortages and put a strain on our support systems in place."

Contact reporter Sean Lahman at slahman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanlahman.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Monroe County NY issues executive order for possible influx of migrants