Orange County Granted Restraining Order Against Housing Migrants

GOSHEN, NY — “For the time being” New York City will not be allowed to house migrants in Orange County.

State Supreme Court Judge Sandra B. Sciortino Tuesday granted the county’s application for a temporary restraining order which has stopped the mayor of New York City for the time being from sending asylum seekers to Orange County, according to a spokesperson.

As modified by the court, the temporary restraining order allows the 186 asylum seekers already at the Crossroads Hotel and Ramada by Wyndham in the Town of Newburgh to remain in Orange County.

However, it prohibits the city of New York from sending any additional asylum seekers to Orange County, pending further submissions from the parties and future determinations by the court.

The county learned after the court hearing that New York City was anticipating sending seven busloads of new migrants/asylum seekers to Orange County Tuesday. Because of the court order, that will not happen, according to county officials.

The parties will be back before the court on June 21.

Orange County Attorney Richard Golden said, if any of the 186 asylum seekers leave the two hotels in the town of Newburgh, New York City is not allowed to send individuals to replace them.

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said New York City should not be establishing a homeless shelter outside of its borders in Orange County.

“The city is a self-proclaimed sanctuary city; Orange County is not,” he said. “We should not have to bear the burden of the immigration crisis that the federal government and Mayor [Eric] Adams created, and I will continue to fight for Orange County’s residents in regard to this important manner.”

On Friday, Neuhaus filed two lawsuits to stop NYC from temporarily housing migrants and/or asylum seekers in the county.

Neuhaus argued that putting up migrants under the NYC program violated an emergency declaration he had issued May 8.

The request for a restraining order followed a reversal of assurances from state and NYC officials that no buses with asylum seekers would arrive in Orange County until further notice.

Around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, two buses with about 20 to 30 men arrive at the Crossroads Hotel in the town of Newburgh.

“Sadly, we have learned that you cannot trust the word of New York City’s mayor and the leadership of New York,” Neuhaus said at the time.