Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - In a new development, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz acknowledges he's been advised by New York State that asylum seekers will be coming to Erie County.
Poloncarz is not yet aware of where the migrants will be housed, but adds, "I have been assured the costs associated with their housing, food, and other supportive services will be paid for by either New York State or New York City."
The county executive says the Department of Social Services works with 5 local resettlement agencies in handling such relocations. "They have recently started a joint venture known as The Refugee Partnership, which is made up of Vive la Casa/Jericho Road Community Health Center, Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services, Journey's End Refugee Services, and the International Institute of Buffalo," he says. "ECDSS has fostered strong and productive relationships with each of these organizations over the years and, working together, the new Refugee Partnership project is ideally positioned to provide additional support, if needed."
"It should be noted, over the past decade and more, approximately 12,000 refugees have moved into and through our area as part of the good work that the Refugee Partnership does, all without fanfare and without the ridiculous fears stoked by xenophobic and ill-informed community members. Some stay here and some move on but all of these people come here seeking to build their own American dream, provide for themselves and their families, and become productive members of our society," adds Poloncarz.
"In fact, due to the exemplary work of the Refugee Partnership, currently there are hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers in Erie County from countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Congo, Ecuador, Somalia, Ukraine, Venezuela and more. These people are not a threat to our community and are only looking for the opportunity to pursue their dream of living in a free, democratic society. Our country is a light to the world and they have followed that light here to Erie County and beyond."
"Erie County has always been a welcoming community and will continue to be one for these asylum- seekers and others as they come here on their journey to a better life," Poloncarz noted in his statement. "Unless we are Native Americans, our relatives all came to America from somewhere else, hoping to take part in the promise of America. That promise is alive and well in Erie County today."
Erie County Legislator Jim Malczewski issued this statement in response: "There is no plan, just chaos. The County Executive has communicated nothing to us. He is not being transparent. An influx of migrants will impact our communities in many ways and our residents' very real concerns are being ignored. We have a country that is trillions of dollars in debt. We have a community that is one of the poorest in the nation. This is not sustainable. We can't effectively take care of Erie County residents already in need and manage this, as well. The seven neighboring counties in Western New York declared a State of Emergency. While they showed real leadership and willingness to put their residents first, Mark Poloncarz put a target on Erie County to become the preferred destination for this problem. The Legislature needs to pass my resolution calling on Mark Poloncarz to change course, declare a state of emergency, and put our residents first. This is a problem of the federal government and it's time the President stop passing the buck. Address this immigration crisis once and for all."
