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Suffolk County Issues Emergency Order Regarding Asylum Seeker Crisis

authorStaff Writer on May 29, 2023

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has issued an emergency order as New York City continues to face a shortage of available housing for individuals and families legally seeking asylum. The emergency order will ensure a coordinated response to the ongoing crisis and help protect the financial interests of the county.

“Today, I issued an emergency order as New York City continues to grapple with a shortage of available housing options for families and individuals fleeing desperate circumstances and legally seeking asylum,” said Bellone. “We remain supportive of Governor Hochul’s coordinated and humane approach to addressing this crisis and this Emergency Order serves to protect the local communities from bearing any costs associated with the potential arrival of asylum seekers.”

The order formalizes the creation of a county intergovernmental team, made up of leadership from the county executive’s office, the Department of Social Services, and the Suffolk County Police Department, that will continue to coordinate directly with New York State regarding the ongoing crisis. Additionally, the team will communicate and coordinate with local nonprofits regarding resources that are available to assist in meeting the challenges faced by those impacted by the ongoing situation.

The executive order also formalizes the county’s objection to New York City’s current approach of busing asylum seekers to random hotels across the state, which is a disservice to both county residents and the individuals seeking asylum. The emergency order instead reiterates the county’s calls for a coordinated approach in which New York State will serve as the lead agency, working to identify potential federal and state sites to temporarily house asylum seekers.

As part of the executive order, hotels, motels or shelters would need the permission of the county to engage in a contract with any other municipality to house asylum seekers, and the outside municipality would be responsible for assuming any and all cost expended by any municipality within Suffolk County.

Suffolk County continues to face a shortage of temporary and permanent housing options, specifically county maintained and contracted shelters have reached capacity as the Department of Social Services works to support individuals facing homelessness.

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