Suffolk Leg Approves Hiring Of Counsel On Asylum Seeker Housing: Reports

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Suffolk lawmakers have approved a measure to retain an attorney to explore legal options regarding the possibility of asylum seekers and migrants being sent to the county, according to reports.

The legislators voted mostly along party lines 11-6, with the Republican majority in favor, Newsday reported. Legis. Sarah Anker, a Democrat from Mount Sinai, was not at the meeting, the outlet reported.

Once retained, the counsel, who has not been named, would advise the lawmakers on the potential success of litigation and whether the county could seek reimbursement or damages from other municipalities, according to the outlet.

There have not been any specific plans put forth for transporting asylum seekers to Suffolk.

But last Friday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced an emergency order, creating an intergovernmental body that would coordinate a response to migrant housing.

The executive order also formalizes the county’s objection to the city’s approach of busing asylum seekers to random hotels across the state, "which is a disservice to both county residents and the individuals seeking asylum," according to a news release.

The emergency order "instead reiterates the county’s calls for a coordinated approach in which the state will serve as the lead agency, working to identify potential federal and state sites to temporarily house asylum seekers," the news release stated.

Stony Brook University was identified as a location to possibly receive people for housing last week.

Gov. Kathy Hochul last Wednesday said officials are reviewing all of the state's assets, including schools, to see what is appropriate.

Two weeks ago, claims that migrants could be shipped to locations in Riverhead prompted Supervisor Yvette Aguiar to declare a State of Emergency.

The Suffolk County Supervisors' Association released a statement the same week, saying that its members want "it understood that the issue regarding migrants and their placement in New York State is the sole responsibility of our federal government officials…the President, and both houses of Congress."

"They all need to step up, stop finger-pointing, and finally, figure out how to handle this issue," the statement continued. "Fix the system like we have been asking them to do for years. It should not, and cannot be left to local governments to shoulder this burden, or take on the responsibility for this issue.”