Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Erie County Legislature passed a bill on Thursday in support of state legislation that gives local governments a say when it comes to relocating asylum seekers. The Legislature's Republican Caucus introduced the resolution, and it ended up passing by a 10-1 vote.
This vote comes after New York City, overrun with migrants and without the resources or clear plan on how to manage them, sent thousands of asylum seekers to other parts of the state.
"This is an important piece of legislation. We didn’t elect [New York City Mayor] Eric Adams to make decisions for us here in Erie County. He’s not our mayor, so it’s not fair that Albany and New York City are making judgment calls that impact our cities, towns and villages here in Erie County," said Legislature Minority Leader John Mills in a statement.
The legislation requires the governing bodies of both the municipality and the county in which that municipality is located to approve a resolution authorizing the relocation of the migrants to their community.
Additionally, the municipality wishing to move the migrants must provide 30 days written advanced notice to the community receiving those migrants. Failing to provide the proper notice would be punishable by a fine totaling $1,000 per-migrant, per-day, made payable to the Comptroller of New York State.
"This is necessary to give control back to local governments," said Legislator Frank Todaro in a statement. "We saw what happened when the so-called asylum seekers were brought here over the past few months. Cheektowaga town officials were never notified or consulted. We, in the Legislature, did not know ahead of time. What we’ve seen were migrants who weren’t properly vetted, and in some cases are accused of horrific crimes that put everyone at risk. Sending them here is not New York City’s decision to make."