At least one busload of migrants is expected to arrive from New York City this weekend at the SureStay Best Western Motel on Wolf Road in Colonie.
The migrants were supposed to go to the city of Albany.
Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey said in an online statement that:
“Albany, in spite of its sanctuary declaration, virtue signaling and with its hospitals, health agencies and social services offices within walking distance of some of its hotels, has chosen to facilitate its sanctuary status by advocating a location for outside of its borders in an area under-equipped to receive, process and monitor and provide daily care for migrants being jettisoned from NYC, another sanctuary city.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan released the following statement to NewsChannel 13:
“In recent days, I have been in contact with New York City officials to identify hotels within the City of Albany that could provide housing and connect them with a vast network of local community-based organizations that offer additional services to asylum seekers. For the Colonie Town Supervisor to say that the City of Albany had a hand in steering the bus to a hotel on Wolf Road is an outright lie.
The facts are the City of New York put asylum seekers on a bus and chose Wolf Road. The City of New York is paying for those hotel rooms, as well as the food and services needed.
The SureStay Hotel in Colonie.
(Peter MacAloney / WNYT)
As a fellow elected official, I do hope the Colonie Town Supervisor shares my belief that these asylum seekers are guests in our communities and their well-being must be a priority for all of us.”