John, 

New York has long been a destination for immigrants—from the early Irish, English, and Dutch settlers to the Chinese, Haitians, and Venezuelan immigrants of more recent days. New Yorkers come from every corner of the globe and speak over 200 different languages. Whether people are bussed here by Texas Governor Abbot or not, New Yorkers have been welcoming new arrivals with open arms and integrating them into the fabric of our communities.

But this week, something changed. Mayor Adams announced that he would begin busing asylum seekers to the Hudson Valley region and weakened New York’s own right-to-shelter law. Hudson Valley officials responded by refusing to accept these buses or to welcome new arrivals with some incendiary and racist rhetoric.

Immigrants and Latinos now make up a significant part of the Hudson Valley and play key roles in the Valley—as valued community members, workers, business owners, and neighbors. The reality is tens of thousands of immigrants have already made the Hudson Valley home and make it a safer, richer, and better place.

For people like Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus to say they can’t find a place for several hundred community members in need, we say to you, “How dare you insult the entire immigrant community that you preside over?”

With last night’s expiration of Title 42, the public health emergency rule the Trump administration invoked to turn back asylum seekers, experts are anticipating an increase of migrants at the Southern border, despite the Biden administration’s implementation of a new policy that essentially bans asylum.

Rather than deride our new neighbors who have done nothing more than pursue their legal right to apply for asylum, we must come together to move forward a comprehensive response that acknowledges the humanity of asylum seekers and provides them with the opportunity to seek the safety and stability they deserve. While it’s perfectly clear Congress won’t take action on immigration reform, there is still more we can do. This will require a commitment of resources from both the federal and state governments, in addition to coordination and collaboration at the local level among government officials and community-based organizations. We’re ready to see this plan through, can you help fuel our fight for a Welcoming New York?

As Emma Kreyche, from member organization Workers Justice Center of New York, based in the Hudson Valley, said so eloquently at yesterday’s press conference, “Above all, we must not give in to forces of hate that would use this moment as a wedge to further divide our communities. To those who are relocating to the Hudson Valley, I want to say, welcome. We will do everything we can to support and defend you.”

Please join us in protecting and defending our immigrant communities in New York City and across the state.

In solidarity,

Murad Awawdeh
Executive Director