Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN) - Following the second arrest of a migrant on sexual assault charges, Erie County has suspended any transportation of new migrants from New York City to area hotels.
Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould announced Saturday the arrest of 22-year-old Kindu Jeancy of the Democratic Republic of Congo on a felony sexual abuse charge.
The arrest followed a complaint from a 27-year-old Buffalo woman who works at the Best Western on Dingens Street where the incident is alleged to have taken place.
Listen LIVE to WBEN:
Gould appeared frustrated at the situation his department has been dealing with at the hotel, and said he has reached out to the town supervisor and county executive asking for assistance.
"I’m asking for the immediate discontinued use of The Best Western Hotel on Dingens Street," Gould said during a Saturday press briefing. "The hotel is located in a residential neighborhood and is causing not only safety concerns for nearby residents, but also quality of life issues."
Gould is also seeking reimbursement or funding for overtime for the Cheektowaga officers assigned to the detail.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, who has been a staunch supporter of allowing migrants to be located to the area, also spoke at the news conference and announced no new migrants from New York City would be sent to Erie County.
"I demanded [New York] Mayor [Eric] Adams pause all transportation of asylum seekers to our community until such time we can resolve all security issues," Poloncarz said, adding that Adams agreed to the demand.
Poloncarz also announced that New York State would be sending National Guard members to help secure the hotels where migrants have been located thus far. He said the guardsman would provide a "stabilizing force".
The county executive also joined with Gould in demanding the Dingens Street hotel be closed to the migrant operations.
"There is no way, we believe, to make the program as it’s presently run, sustainable without some significant changes," stated Poloncarz. "The town, county and New York State cannot solve what is essentially a federal "issue.
Related
