COLONIE — A group of asylum seekers displaced from New York City arrived at a hotel in Colonie early Sunday morning. This is one of many groups hosting upstate communities now that the city says it can’t handle the continued influx of tens of thousands of international migrants who have arrived there.
About 25 men being transported from New York City checked into the SureStay Plus by Best Western Hotel on Wolf Road in Colonie sometime after midnight, Colonie Supervisor Peter Crummey said. On a large piece of paper at the entrance to the hotel on Sunday was a handwritten note that read “Bienviedos, Bem-vindos, Welcome!”
A company called DocGo, hired by New York City, was on hand to help with logistics – along with at least four security guards to keep the public and media away from the asylum seekers. The nonprofit Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and Albany attorneys were also on hand to help. A shuttle bus Sunday also took the newcomers to nearby locations like ShopRite, the Post Office on Central Avenue and the main branch of the Albany Public Library. The SureStay owner was at the scene Sunday and declined to comment.
A Venezuelan man named Angelo, 34, was with about six other men in the hotel lobby on Sunday, either waiting to speak to lawyers or to board the shuttle bus. All were dressed in gym clothes, some with baseball caps, and each had a “guest ID” hung around their necks so they could check in and out.
“We’ve only just arrived and we’ve had very little information so far,” Angelo told the Times Union through an interpreter. He added that he was fine but tired.
Angelo’s journey across the United States began at least a few weeks ago in El Paso, Texas before, by his own admission, he traveled through Louisiana and up the East Coast to New York City. When he was there, he said he received vague information about job availability in the north of the state. He said he made the arduous journey from South America alone.
The asylum seekers arrived in Colonie just hours after the city manager sent out a lengthy statement Saturday night alleging that New York City Mayor Eric Adams failed to notify the Albany County Administrative Office of the plan , in violation of an executive order issued Tuesday.
“The district board issued an executive order that required collaboration, coordination and a thoughtful plan among state, county and local officials and nonprofit organizations. That was never done with the city of Colonie,” Crummey said Sunday.
In his statement, Crummey wrote that the Wolf Road area was not suitable for the influx of people with unknown health, dietary and behavioral histories. When asked Sunday what he meant by “behavioural histories,” the supervisor said the city had not been informed of what social services the asylum seekers might need at the placement.
He pointed out that Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, in his May 23 ordinance, required that the county be notified to coordinate the housing of migrants and asylum seekers being transported here, and that only the County social services commissioners can grant licenses for hotels, motels, or other housing groups of people. Crummey stressed that his frustration stemmed more from the lack of coordination than from the asylum seekers themselves, adding that he was not informed of the placement plan until late Friday evening and that the delay felt “contrived” and “purposeful”.
Given Albany’s designation as a city of refuge, Crummey wondered why there wasn’t a greater effort to relocate migrants within the city limits, where he says there are more resources within walking distance.
“I’m amazed they didn’t really put their heart and soul into taking in these people who were victims of being transported across the country. This is about the welfare of migrants and Adams has shown a complete disregard for their safety,” he added. Crummey said the Wolf Road Hotel has had problems and has received more than 200 police calls over the past 18 months.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan later responded in her own statement on Saturday night, claiming: “The statement by the Colonie City Manager that the City of Albany was involved in driving the bus to a hotel on Wolf Road is an outright one Lie.”
She told the Times Union in an interview on Sunday that during a call Thursday with New York officials she was told that buses carrying asylum seekers would be dispatched to Albany “immediately”. When briefed on the locations chosen, she replied that two of the hotels on Wolf Road — a Motel 6 and the SureStay — were not in Albany and that Colonie officials needed to be contacted. She also said she called McCoy afterwards and gave him the details of the call.
Later, Sheehan was told only one bus would arrive and it would be sent to SureStay, she said.
That the hotel has a zip code in Albany might explain why a company chose that location to accommodate people. “These were decisions made by people who weren’t really looking at a map, but were looking at these Albany addresses,” Sheehan added.
The Ramada Inn at 3 Watervliet Ave. in Albany was also mentioned as a potential location for housing the migrants, but raised concerns with Sheehan, who raised concerns about the number of police calls the city is receiving there. “These are a vulnerable demographic and I think it is the City of New York’s responsibility to ensure that they are not placed in an environment where they could potentially be exploited,” she said, adding that the City of Albany Names of other hotels mentioned within the city. She did not name these hotels.
The borough board contacted the mayor late Friday night and indicated that it was trying to “avoid sending people into Colonie,” according to Sheehan, who described the city manager’s response as “morally reprehensible.”
“These are people who are here legally, who want asylum in our country and there is evidence that they will do everything to ensure that they comply with the law so that they can be granted asylum in our country,” she said.
McCoy issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying Albany County must already start addressing the homelessness issue, as 730 people are currently in need of permanent housing.
“Sending migrants to us without a plan is not a solution,” McCoy’s statement said. “We need direct communication with Mayor Adams to find the best solution so this doesn’t lead to more chaos.”
Brendan J. Lyons and Steve Hughes contributed to this story.