State Judge Grants Rockland Restraining Order Over Migrant Plan

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland officials won a preliminary round in New York Supreme Court Thursday, as they were granted the temporary restraining order they sought just before midnight Tuesday to keep the city from beginning to send migrants to a local hotel.

“The New York City Mayor blatantly lying and deceiving Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus of their intentions is exactly why we are taking the actions we are taking such strong action against Adams," County Executive Ed Day told Patch. "Despite what he thinks, he is not above local and state law, nor State of Emergencies. I’ll continue doing whatever is necessary to safeguard all the lives involved that his plan will without question endanger.”

On Thursday, Rockland was granted a Temporary Restraining Order pending a hearing about the city's plan to house several hundred migrants from the thousands pouring into the city at the Armoni Inn and Suites in Orangeburg.

Rockland officials argued that the city may call it an emergency-use hotel, but is "mirroring the operation of a homeless shelter" by hiring a shelter operator and staff, providing security, establishing rules for guest conduct and curfews, providing case management, laundry services, and three meals a day, "all of which is not consistent with a hotel stay of a guest at no cost. However, it is consistent with the operation of a homeless shelter."

At a news conference Thursday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the city would fight back. "We're going to challenge all of the legal obstacles that are attempting to be placed in our way. We are going to challenge them because it will set a bad precedent. If someone is saying in the State of New York that you are not allowed to come here, that's just a bad precedent."

The county's Human Rights Commissioner Spencer Chiimbwe said Rockland has no resources to commit to the migrants the City of New York planned to impose on it. "Instructing a place with no resources to house hundreds of human beings is not only unsustainable but a prescription for immediate and future homelessness in Rockland County," Chiimbwe said.

SEE ALSO:

• Officials Surprised As Asylum-Seekers Arrive In Newburgh Thursday
• Two Suits Filed To Stop NYC From Housing Migrants In Rockland County
• Governor Declares Emergency As HV, NYC War Over Migrant Influx
• Latimer Cites History, Bible Over NYC Migrant Controversy
• Orange County Exec Declares State of Emergency Over NYC Migrant Plan
• NYC Plan For Migrants Like 'Human Trafficking' - Rockland County Exec