Saratoga, Fulton counties declare emergencies over migrants - Albany Times Union

[Rhiannon12866]

Fearing surge, a growing number of upstate communities pass pre-emptive measures

Saratoga County on Friday became the latest upstate community to pass a preemptive emergency declaration that predicts a surge from New York City of those seeking asylum and other migrants recently arrived in the state and the country.

The announcement, made Friday evening without input from at least some of the county’s Board of Supervisors, did not say anyone new had been transported to the Saratoga area. Instead, board Chair Theodore T. Kusnierz Jr. cited “possible relocation and arrival ... from New York City.” The declaration says that public health and safety are “imperiled due to the immediate danger of an extraordinary increase” in undocumented migrants and those seeking asylum after the expiration earlier this month of Title 42, a pandemic-era restriction that allowed for the rapid removal of people who gained illegal entry to the U.S.

While saying Saratoga has “has long been and continues to be a welcoming and diverse community,” Kusnierz’s declaration continued, “this type of rapid population increase would overburden our social services, public health, emergency services and other departments that are already dealing with a higher volume of cases and workload than they have in years past.”

An emergency declaration makes the county “eligible for any state and federal funding that may become available,” Kusnierz said.


Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/saratoga-fulton-counties-declare-emergencies-18110212.php