Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne outlining misinformation about Putnam’s Homeless Shelter law
While Putnam County has acted responsibly, the fact remains that this is a national crisis in need of a national solution. The federal government must wake up and finally rise to the occasion.” Writes Byrne.
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne recently signed a new “Homeless Shelter” law that prevents outside governments, like New York City, from housing its homeless and migrant population in temporary residences or motels, without first entering into a shared services agreement with Putnam County.
The law challenges the way in which NYC Mayor Eric Adams has relocated thousands of migrants coming from the southern border. Adams has not shared any information with local governments until the last possible moment and has negotiated directly with hotel owners and operators.
Byrne recently penned an Op-Ed letter to explain his position, which is supported by the vast majority of residents in Putnam County. “Despite what critics have asserted, this law does not ban or prohibit any human being from existing in Putnam County, it does not eliminate or change local zoning, it does not change any law enforcement operations or powers, nor does it infringe on anyone’s Constitutional rights. While the migrant crisis is part of the origin of this law, it’s not what this law is about. New York City’s actions simply exposed a flaw in existing law that other municipalities could exploit in the future, and we sought to fix it,” writes Byrne, who said that at least one facility in Putnam was contacted by NYC and the Adams administration but rejected the offer.
To avoid having NYC negotiate with a hotel or residence community in Putnam, Byrne declared a state of emergency, like the other Hudson Valley communities in Orange, Rockland and Dutchess Counties. “The City of New York has not been forthcoming or transparent throughout this process,” said Byrne. The Executive Order was lifted after Byrne and Putnam legislators passed the Homeless Shelter law, which also recommits the county’s law enforcement relationship with federal immigration enforcement agencies, (ICE), and makes it clear- Putnam County, while a caring and compassionate county, is definitively not a “sanctuary county”.
Byrne’s Op-Ed directly challenges some of the local media, and the ACLU, for their coverage. “No one in local government asked for this national migrant crisis, but tragically, decades of inaction by our federal government amplified by dishonest and underhanded moves by politicians placed it on our doorstep.
“In New York, the misinformation began with City officials and their representatives refusing to coordinate with municipalities before bussing homeless individuals into their jurisdictions. But the truth is the misinformation has come from all angles and political persuasions. Elected officials, political organizations, and pundits in the press, that did not support Putnam County’s emergency action and local legislation, engaged in a campaign of disinformation to gaslight and further their own goals of self-promotion, division, and fear mongering.
“Shuttling homeless individuals around without a coordinated plan agreed to by all parties is simply inhumane. Humanitarian organizations, such as the International Rescue Committee have acknowledged this deep concern saying “asylum seekers are being transported by state and local governments… often without informed consent, coordination or planning.”
“The reality is, what New York City and other municipalities have attempted to do equates to dumping their obligations onto other municipalities with zero planning. In Putnam County, we demonstrated restraint and exercised responsible decision making. In the face of every neighboring county (even Westchester according to early remarks by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano) being taken off guard by the City’s actions, after Title 42 expired generating a new wave of unplanned migration into the United States, after I wrote to Mayor Adams and received no response, after we confirmed Putnam County’s temporary rentals were already 80% full with limited capacity, and after Putnam County learned that NYC’s representatives engaged directly with a motel, without any County or Local government’s knowledge, seeking a 6 month to 5 year contract.
“Virtue signaling gestures of funding from the federal and state governments have been largely cosmetic as these very same entities have refused to address the source of this crisis. Earlier this year, New York City was given one billion dollars in the state budget, yet the City continues with its half-baked plans and no meaningful coordination,” writes Byrne.
On July 5th, the Putnam County Legislature, by a vote of 7 –1 approved the new homeless shelter law
“I refused to let Putnam County be bullied by the City or anyone else. Despite the rhetoric and angry disinformed commentary, we remained confident in going to court to defend our preliminary measures.
“Our nation is dealing with a humanitarian crisis at our southern border of incredible proportions. Our federal government has failed us for far too long and we need a real solution. The President’s refusal to take ownership of this crisis and take corrective actions to secure our nation’s southern border and fix the asylum-seeking process has left municipalities across America with few options. The one billion dollars from the state and hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government provided to New York City doesn’t even scratch the surface of the outstanding need that still exists. Cities all over the country have become overwhelmed. While Putnam County has acted responsibly, the fact remains that this is a national crisis in need of a national solution. The federal government must wake up and finally rise to the occasion,” writes Byrne.
Several media reports, and organizations, characterized the actions of Byrne and Putnam legislators as “extreme” and “incendiary”.
‘The New York Civil Liberties Union sent cease-and-desist letters to county and town leaders who had issued emergency declarations and executive orders against the possibility that New York City might temporarily house some of the thousands of newly-arrived migrants in their jurisdictions.
“Nearly 40 counties and towns across New York State have attempted to block recently arrived immigrants from resettling in their communities. These incendiary orders – which are premised on non-existent emergencies – could generate hostility, bias, and even violence against immigrants while perpetuating false narratives of ‘thousands’ of immigrants entering counties and placing undue burdens on services,” wrote the NYCLU.
Nancy Montgomery, Putnam County Legislator, District 1, who voted no, stated, “It’s outrageous that my Republican colleagues in the legislature are moving forward dangerous legislation that will create more divisiveness, make our region less safe for all, and make the very few existing homeless shelters illegal, all simply to cater to extremists. At a time when our region is still struggling to recover from the economic hardships of the pandemic, these legislators are not only fanning the flames of hate, but once again ignoring our county’s humanitarian responsibilities and curtailing the economic opportunity of our local businesses.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition, said, “The actions taken by the Putnam County lawmakers are a direct attempt to create an asylum seeker ban and is nothing more than a fear-mongering tactic fueled by racism and xenophobia. It’s shameful to see local officials exploit vulnerable immigrant families for cheap political points.
Northern Westchester and Putnam County are linked in so many ways. Residents of both counties, shop, dine and entertain in Westchester and Putnam. But Putnam County has a population 1/10th the size of Westchester, and the number of units, motels or shelters available for Mayor Adams and NYC to attempt to send migrants to is minimal. A review by Putnam County showed that as of June 25-Putnam County only had 140 total motel rooms-and only 40 of those rooms were available.
We do agree with Byrne in his disappointment for a lack of coordinated response from NY Governor Kathy Hochul and President Joe Biden. Neither has proposed or suggested a plan or solution to the problem. And only NYC received $1 Billion from Hochul in the state budget to address the migrant crisis.
Mayor Spano and Yonkers have asked for help to educate some of the children housed at the Ramada Inn in their City, to no avail. Westchester County has two locations with migrants-in Yonkers and White Plains.
But the issue of migrants has now exploded in NYC, with migrants now staying outside the filled Roosevelt Hotel. Until Governor Hochul and President Biden come up with a plan, with funding for local governments who have migrants, we agree with Putnam County Executive Byrne- Now is the time for action.
