Picente says NY counties 'have done nothing wrong' in barring asylum seekers

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. says he is disappointed in the lawsuit recently filed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams contesting emergency orders he and other county leaders issued last month stating their counties are at capacity and cannot accept an influx of asylum seekers from the city.

On Wednesday, Adams announced New York City is filing suit against more than 30 localities in the state – including Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties – that he believes issued unlawful emergency executive orders intended to prohibit New York City from arranging for even a small number of asylum seekers to stay in private hotels within their jurisdictions.

“Since this crisis began, New York City has — virtually on its own — stepped up to provide shelter, food, clothing, and other services to asylum seekers arriving in our city,” Adams said in a statement. “We are doing our part and will continue to do our part, but we need every locality across the state to do their part as well.”

Picente, in turn, said he believed the counties would be able to defend their emergency orders due to home rule and the sheer number of counties involved.

"It’s unfortunate," he said, "that the city of New York is filing suit against counties that have done nothing wrong."

How we got here

Since April 2022, large numbers of individuals and families seeking asylum in the United States have arrived and then were sent to New York City as they seek temporary housing assistance, Adams’ administration said in a statement on the mayor’s website. The large number of arrivals has strained the city's capacity to provide a temporary place to stay for those who need it.

New York City officials have sought to use hotel rooms outside of its five boroughs to provide temporary housing assistance for asylum seekers, with New York City covering the cost of those hotels and of providing services to the individuals.

Picente previously called the matter a national and state issue that had been pushed upon counties, and the possibility of housing people at state-owned properties like college campuses an “inhumane” move that would further stress the county’s already maxed health and safety systems.

A collection of faith leaders in Oneida County later urged Picente to rethink his emergency order, stating the county is welcoming to all.

What happens next

“We have repeatedly sounded the alarm that our shelter system is at capacity and that we are out of space," Adams said in a statement. "While many communities have been overwhelmingly supportive and enthusiastic about welcoming these new arrivals to their cities and towns, some elected officials have attempted to build metaphorical walls around their localities with unlawful executive orders. This lawsuit aims to put an end to this xenophobic bigotry and ensure our state acts as one as we work together to manage this humanitarian crisis fairly and humanely, as we have done from the beginning and as we will continue to do.”

In Wednesday’s suit, New York City asked the court to declare each of the executive orders null and void and to stop the counties from taking any steps to enforce them any longer.

Picente objected to the request, saying Oneida County faces a capacity issue of its own. Picente also said he took "great offense" to what he called Adams' decision "to play the race card."

Herkimer County Board of Legislators Chairman Vincent Bono said the county's staff is already stretched thin, and bringing asylum seekers to stay in local hotels would create financial distress.

"Herkimer County has a concern with the limited number of hotel rooms in the county," Bono said in a statement. "The summer tourist season has begun and to replace the anticipated revenues from the tourists that would occupy those rooms with migrants who wouldn’t be contributing to those anticipated revenues would have a devastating economic impact for retail, seasonal and entertainment sectors."

"Couple that with the fact that our staff is already stretched to the limit taking care of our current citizens would only add an exacerbated strain on the system. New York State had no problem taking $2.7 million from Herkimer County in the last budget and now they want us to take care of more people with less."

Oneida County's attorney is looking into the matter of the lawsuit, Picente said, though he did not rule out the need for outside counsel, at the county’s expense.

As of Thursday, there are no known plans to bus people to Oneida, Herkimer or Madison counties.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Facing NYC lawsuit, Oneida County defends choice to bar asylum seekers