Amherst, N.Y. (WBEN) - There is much uncertainty, confusion and angst over the moving of former New York City migrants from a Dingens Street hotel in Cheektowaga.
At a packed Cheektowaga Town Board meeting Tuesday night, Supervisor
Diane Benczkowski informed residents that she spoke with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz Tuesday and he said migrants from the Best Western Hotel on Dingens Street would be moved to a hotel in Amherst, in the Sweet Home school district.
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WBEN reached Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa who said that is not
accurate information. "If it was going to happen, there is a certainty that as a municipal leader, we would be told when, where, and how it was happening. And it hasn't happened."
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Kulpa added that he's not sure it's going to happen. He advises other municipal leaders to stop speculating, or taking partial information and talking about it.
"I'm sorry the Supervisor from my neighboring town decided to speak out of turn about it, but she obviously didn't know what was going on."
Critical of the situation, Kulpa added, "At the moment, we're playing three card monte with a lot of people."
He said, if and when there's a decision by New York City officials, involving Amherst, he would know about it. As of Tuesday morning, that had not happened.
"Everybody is trying to project what will happen, publicly, and it's not helpful."
He did admit that there has been some discussion about appropriate places for migrants, as well as places where he would be uncomfortable placing this population.
There are a number of issues that the migrant crisis is bringing to Western New York; from policing, to schools. But the biggest concern for Kulpa is the fact that this situation involves people.
"They may not be here in the traditional manner. And there are kids involved. At some point, when decisions are made, we need to figure out how to be respectful of that decision."
The Amherst leader is begging for a federal level response to this. "You're either accepting people across the border, or you're not. If you are, then have a plan. No one has a plan. It shouldn't be a state or municipal level issue. It is. We have to be adults about it and figure out what to do."