Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency in response to the increasing number of migrants seeking shelter in New York City.
The declaration will expedite the distribution of $1 billion from the recently enacted state budget to address the growing humanitarian crisis. The crisis has escalated following the expiration of Title 42, a federal policy that previously allowed the US to reject asylum seekers without a hearing.
As the city temporarily houses nearly 37,000 immigrants from the US-Mexico border, upstate communities, including self-declared “sanctuary cities,” are awaiting guidance from state and federal officials. State lawmakers have recently provided New York City with $1 billion to support housing and social and legal services for asylum seekers, but proportional funding for upstate cities and counties was not included in the final budget agreement.
The political debate over where asylum seekers should reside has intensified, with some upstate officials rejecting any efforts to house migrants in their communities.
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