Suffolk Lawmakers To Vote On Hiring Counsel To Weigh In On Migrants: Report

HAUPPAUGE, NY —A group of Suffolk Republican legislators plan to hire an attorney to examine measures to block migrants from being housed in the county, Newsday reported.

Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey said the Legislature will vote on a measure to hire counsel to “pursue any and all legal options available to protect the unfunded location of any asylum-seekers in Suffolk County," the outlet reported.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has previously said there are no plans to house migrants in the county.

Reports that locations in the county could be deemed receiving sites for migrants caused concern among some lawmakers last week. In Riverhead, Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar declared a State of Emergency on Tuesday in anticipation that migrants could be shipped to the township to several venues.

Her order was issued based on information received and in response to reports that the New York City Department of Homeless Services has, or will arrange for, the transportation and relocation of undocumented migrants and/or asylum seekers to hotels or motels within Riverhead, the town said.

The Suffolk County Supervisors' Association issued a statement on Wednesday, responding to the possibility that migrants and asylum seekers from the southern border could be placed in the state.

Chaired by Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, the association contains all the heads of government for the county's 10 towns, including Brookhaven, Islip, Huntington, Smithtown, Southampton, East Hampton, Shelter Island, Riverhead, and Southold.

The statement, released by Schaffer and vice chair, Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter, says the association "wants 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 continues. "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.”

For more in Newsday, click here.