Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Asylum seekers living in local hotels are on notice. According to officials in Erie County, any individuals or families living in hotels, locally, or anywhere upstate, must leave by Dec. 31.
"My gut reaction is that we are very close to the presidential election and immigration remains a very contentious topic and I think there's some political motivation behind the timing of this," said attorney Rosanna Berardi of Berardi Immigration Law on WBEN on Friday.
The Dec. 31 date is the last day of New York City's contract with DocGo, the company that has been overseeing care of migrants across the state.
Berardi said she suspects that the upcoming election and polling may have something to do with this.
"Not everybody is in favor of migrants being put up at hotels which are being funded by public dollars," Berardi said.
While it may sound like migrants are going to be deported, she said that is not what is happening.
"They will not be deported from the United States because as political asylum seekers, they have the ability and right to apply for asylum and have their day in court."
According to DocGo, migrants are either being transitioned into housing programs based on eligibility or being reconnected with friends or family, or, being returned to the arrival center in New York City.
Berardi thinks a contract extension may be in the offing.
"As an attorney, when I hear a contract is expiring, it can also be extended. This is a 90-day notice, if you will. We need to watch that closely."
The take away, Berardi added, is that no one is being deported. No one is being removed. She said "it's more evidence of the strain on public resources
in terms of the broken asylum system and immigration court system in the U.S."
Three local hotels in Amherst and Cheektowaga have been housing migrants from New York City for approximately 18 months.