BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI

North Country This Week

CANTON — St. Lawrence County legislators say they are in direct opposition to potential executive orders that could be utilized to force the county to house migrants currently based in New York City.

The resolution comes after New York City officials floated the idea of sending migrants to the North Country when New York City Mayor Eric Adams mentioned the possibility of sending migrants to the Massena International Airport.

Legislators approved the resolution unanimously during the full board meeting on Sept. 11, saying such a move would have dire consequences for migrants and North Country residents alike.

Legislator John Gennett was not present for the meeting and was therefore unable to cast a vote.

Massena has been in the crosshairs of New York City officials for several weeks now, first with the owner of the Quality Inn hotel first floating the idea of using his property to house up to 180 migrants in downtown Massena.

That idea was met with resounding opposition by local, state and federal lawmakers who all said the plan was a non-starter.

Just a few weeks later, a report from CBS News listed Massena International Airport as a possible location for housing migrants at the suggestion of the Department of Homeland Security.

Once again, local, state and federal lawmakers shut down the idea, saying the airport has no space to house anyone and is fully utilized. Some lawmakers also raised security concerns with the idea, noting the airport handles multiple flights daily to and from.

Between the spring of 2022 and Aug. 2023, over 100,000 migrants have entered New York City, straining resources, according to city officials.

Those migrants are largely coming from the southern border via bus after Texas Governor Greg Abbott used executive authority to remove the migrants from Texas.

In May of 2023, state officials declared a state of emergency, which was quickly followed by the county also passing a state of emergency.

Thirty of 57 counties outside of New York City have declared a state of emergency, legislators say.

In doing so, the state and county both could potentially qualify for federal aid to assist with the migrant crisis.

County legislators noted that New York City has struggled to respond to the arrival of the migrants, with Adams recently taking steps to discourage migrants from seeking refuge in New York City. Adams has also sought help from state officials to disperse the migrants around the state to alleviate the strain on city resources.

In response, Governor Kathy Hochul has pledged that no county or municipality will be forced to assist with housing migrants and only those who have pledged support will be asked to assist.

“We cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants. Nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will,” Hochul said on Aug. 24.

Adams also urged Hochul to pass an executive order to move migrants out of the city and into upstate communities, while also requesting $6.5 billion in aid from the state, according to the resolution.

Another hangup with Adams’ plan is that local municipalities will also not receive any resources for migrants placed after Dec. 31, 2023, leaving local taxpayers to foot the bill, according to the resolution.

Legislators also raised concerns about the inclusion of state universities on a list of possible sites to house migrants that was advocated for by the City Law Department.

Officials have said on multiple occasions before that both SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton would not house migrants and were never formally considered for inclusion in a plan to do so.

Legislators also say the placement of migrants around the state “merely shifts the problem from the city of New York to other counties, rather than solving the problem.”

Though the resolution praises Governor Hochul for opposing Adams’ plan, legislator Margaret Haggard did voice a concern that the title may be misleading, noting that no executive orders were ever passed.

“There weren’t executive orders, it was a suggestion by Eric Adams, mayor of New York City. It suggests there was an executive order, there wasn’t,” Haggard said.

“If somebody looks at this they’re going to think that the title is incorrect,” she continued.

Legislator Joseph Lightfoot noted that the resolution is intended to cover what may or may not happen, while County Attorney Steve Button pointed out the body of the resolution clearly states the intention of the legislature and the governor’s opposition to the plan from city officials.