John, 

Less than three weeks have passed since Mayor Adams started busing asylum seekers to regions outside of New York City. Without proper planning or coordination, approximately two hundred asylum seekers were sent outside of the city when Mayor Adams announced New York City had reached capacity.

The Mayor’s actions were immediately met by the casual racism of elected officials in the Hudson Valley, Syracuse, and other areas of New York State, who scrambled to stop the arrival of those buses. Twenty-six counties to date have issued executive orders barring local hotels from housing asylum seekers or preventing the city from transporting them to their region. These orders are a reminder that MAGA Republicans are setting the terms of our national, local, and dinner-table dialogue on immigration.

We can’t and won't let that happen. Immigrants are integral to our identity as New Yorkers and as Americans. When we let the voices of people like Ed Day in Rockland County or Steve McLaughlin in Rensselaer County dominate the public conversation on who does and doesn’t belong here, we stand to lose our values and risk losing opportunities to build more diverse communities and a stronger workforce. 

Our members and allies in Syracuse, Long Island and the Hudson Valley have gathered over the last few weeks to hold rallies to make clear the elected officials building barriers to inclusion in their communities don’t speak for all of us. And in Buffalo, we applauded Erie County’s Mark Polocranz as he asserted that Erie County would welcome asylum seekers with open arms to his region.

Being welcoming is much more than being friendly or kind. Being welcoming in America is recognizing the humanity of each and every one of us who wants to build a life here and create safety and opportunity for our children. When we welcome people into our communities, we are enabling all residents to live, thrive, and contribute fully and equally — including immigrants. 

Now, more than ever, we need to stand together and declare loudly, “No bans, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.” Join us by making a donation now!

Murad Awawdeh
Executive Director