Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN) - The issue of housing migrants in Erie County is at the forefront of local political discussion once again following the arrest of a 26-year-old asylum seeker in Cheektowaga on charges of rape, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.
Following a crowded Cheektowaga Town Board meeting Tuesday night, where residents voiced their concerns over the incident, Cheektowaga Councilmember Brian Nowak tells WBEN there hasn't been a major issue up to this point.
"The incident that was in the news yesterday with the gentleman from Venezuela, that was a domestic incident all within the confines of a hotel," said Nowak with Brian Mazurowski and Susan Rose. "We've got nearly 600 folks here, the vast majority of them have been law-abiding to this point."
A concern among those in attendance at Tuesday's Town Board meeting was the issue of safety, and whether the town is doing enough to ensure the well-being of residents. Nowak says the fact an arrest was made shows that the town is addressing those concerns, urging residents to contact police if needed.
"We've got situations where there are legitimate complaints but they're not making them to the police department or our dispatch. If there are folks that are dealing with trespassing on to property and things like that I would encourage them to call the non-emergency number or 9-1-1." Nowak said.
Regarding trespassing complaints, Nowak says the hotels where migrants are staying are already taking actions to prevent further issues. The councilmember says one of the items on his agenda for this week is reaching out to the hotels and ensuring they're continuing to adapt as incidents are reported.
Members of the board have made it clear they will seek an injunction to prevent more migrants coming to Cheektowaga, but Nowak says it isn't a certainty that an injunction will be successful. Nowak says the rules are different across different parts of New York and are handled on a case by case basis.
"I'm waiting for interpretation from code enforcement and the law department, but there's an executive order that was issued at the state level and part of what that does, it suspends certain real property laws to kind of make it less challenging for folks to take up residence in these hotels." Nowak said.
Hear the full comments from Nowak available in the player below:
