Chemung County 'could not sustain' influx of asylum seekers, prohibits transport, housing
Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss has declared a local state of emergency prohibiting municipalities and residents from providing housing or transportation to asylum seekers without county permission.
Thursday marked the end of Title 42 — a Trump-era policy that allowed for quick expulsion of asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the termination of that policy, and an escalating crisis in New York City, Moss issued an executive order prohibiting municipalities from making "contracts with persons, businesses or entities doing business with the county to transport migrants or asylum seekers to locations in the county, or to house persons at locations in the county for any length of time without the express written permission of the county executive."
In addition, no hotel, motel or owner of a multiple dwelling is allowed under the executive order to contract or engage in business with any municipality other than Chemung County to provide housing or accommodations without a license granted by the county.
"The national immigration crisis and plans involving the relocation of migrants from the New York City area to counties outside of New York City have caused a public emergency, as our county could not sustain the resources needed which coincide with migrant relocation," Moss said.
Resources including housing, clothing, medical care and food could easily be overwhelmed by an influx of migrants to the county, he said.
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Chemung joins other counties declaring similar emergencies following a virtual meeting with representatives from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office on Tuesday.
The executive order authorizes the sheriff to issue appearance tickets for violations, including both civil and criminal penalties.
The order is set to remain in effect for five days but could be revoked or extended for additional five-day periods.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Chemung County prohibits transport, housing of refugees: What to know
