AMHERST, N.Y. — We are finding out more about a Tuesday night stabbing at an Amherst motel that is housing asylum seekers. No one would speak to us on camera or in an interview, so we only received statements on this situation.
There are also new questions about the effort by a local agency to find new housing for hundreds of migrants before an end-of-the year deadline.
The presence of Amherst Police on Tuesday night at the Red Roof Inn on Flint Road as, once again, first responders were called to that motel housing asylum seekers, who had been moved last year from another hotel in Cheektowaga.
There was a report Tuesday night of a fight involving a knife with one person, said by police to be a juvenile female stabbed and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Two other people were injured with treatment on scene.
In Amherst Town Court on Wednesday, the suspect was arraigned, then ordered held at the Erie County Holding Center.
Amherst Police say 23-year-old Anghely N. Llamozas-Perez, who in court was said to be a wife and mother, was charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Also in court, it was stated that there was a U.S. Homeland Security detainer filed for her.
This follows other incidents, including alleged sexual assault at hotels in Cheektowaga last year, which prompted Erie County officials to tell New York City not to send any more migrants after over 500 were bused here in 2023.
Then last month an alleged shooting incident involved two other migrants, which Cheektowaga Police were investigating without further updates.
We know that DocGo, which was originally hired by New York City in a controversial $432 million contract to relocate migrants upstate, will cease those shelter operations and support work at local hotels by year's end.
That contract, arranged through the office of Mayor Eric Adams, was heavily criticized by the New York City Comptroller in August with his claims of mismanagement by DocGo including millions of dollars wasted on unused hotels, unauthorized subcontractors and even moldy rooms for the asylum seekers.
A DocGo spokesman said last night they were still providing security at the hotels, and we saw them on-site Wednesday at the Red Roof Inn.
The New York State Department of Military Affairs says state National Guard troops, funded by state tax dollars for extra security, have been largely phased out at the hotels.
Back in In June, with the support of State Senator Sean Ryan, Jewish Family Services of WNY announced a separate $22 million contract with New York City in an effort to relocate the migrants to private housing like apartments with the aim of cost savings.
JFS CEO Molly Carr said thenm "This program, I'm being very clear, is only for those individuals who are currently housed in the hotels. The 539 individuals."
Ryan added back then as well, "We're really optimistic this is going to go fast, and it's going to go smooth."
But now as of Nov. 13, before the Dec. 31 deadline, we are learning that of the 539 individuals sheltered in hotels, according to Senator Ryan's office, one family has been moved, out and three more by the end of the week. The pace of placement will increase approaching the Dec. 31 deadline.
Here is a full statement from his office sent to 2 On our Side: "I have complete confidence in law enforcement to address criminal activity, and those who engage in such activity will be held accountable. It is clear that housing people in hotels is not a long-term solution. We need to get people into permanent housing as soon as possible. The program we have developed has taken a lot longer to implement than we envisioned. There is no doubt that New York City has not handled this well, but we need to move forward. While a final agreement is pending, Jewish Family Services is actively engaging in case management and moving people out of hotels, which is being paid for by NYC. One family has moved out of the hotels, and three more will be out by the end of the week. The pace of placements will increase in the coming weeks as we move toward the deadline of December 31 to move everyone into permanent housing. In the meantime, those who have been staying in hotels have been completing their paperwork and are becoming work authorized and will be able to contribute to the economy, which is one of our most important goals."
That mirrors the statement from Jewish Family Services through a public relations spokesperson:
"This most recent incident just reinforces the urgent need to get people out of hotels and into better living conditions. There is no excuse for these incidents, but this is the result of when so many people are congregated in these types of living conditions.
“People are frustrated and scared and uncertain about their futures; they have no idea what is going to happen to them. People are on edge, so these incidents are occurring. That is why our work is so important because getting them out of area hotels will provide some stability as they will be around family and have some structure. The current situation is untenable.
“JFS has been in ongoing negotiations and discussions with New York City regarding the final scope of work for the past couple of months on the Coordinated Entry Program. We completed our initial agreement with New York City over the summer but couldn’t move forward with moving people into more permanent housing until we had a definitive agreement in place.
“While a finalized contract with New York City is still pending, JFS has received confirmation from city officials that we can resume work in the hotels, including providing case management services and beginning housing placements to move people out of the local hotels.
“Throughout all of this JFS staff has been in constant communications and visiting with the asylees throughout this ongoing and difficult situation.”