BUFFALO, N.Y. — The issue of immigration may be heating up for New York State again with reports of more migrants pouring into New York City with overcrowding and confusion.
And of course, some of those individuals have previously come here to Erie County.
2 On Your Side spoke Monday with a local Congressman who met with federal officials and New York City Mayor Adams directly about the difficult issue.
Just as crowded, confusing scenes played out this weekend in New York City with asylum seekers trying to find shelter around that city's migrant intake center, Congressman Brian Higgins and other members of Congress met directly with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Higgins says he had a message for Secretary Mayorkas and others.
"The state of New York shouldn't bear the financial responsibility of this. The Federal government should because it's their failure to act that created this situation
Reporter: Did you get anything from that meeting - that there might be some give on that as well?
Higgins: I think everybody said the right things but these meetings - the success of them is normally determined by what takes place after."
And with no apparent commitments, Higgins says he is somewhat frustrated that his own government body - Congress - has also failed to take any real action even on state officials' request that a federal 6-month hold on allowing migrants to work in the US should be shortened. Some federal immigration officials have stated they don't want to do it because Washington fears more people will just cross the border to seek better jobs instead of real asylum from violence or persecution in their home countries.
Hundreds of migrants have come here to Erie County with various resettlement agencies under contract with DOCGO which New York City hired to supervise the operation. Higgins says "The New York City problem I think is different. Because it's a bigger place, greater density and you know the shelter issue is much more challenging. One of the things the organizations do like Jericho Road, Journey's End, and Catholioc Charities. We accept what we can handle. "
But some of our local agencies have reportedly said they are at capacity with shelter space as well. By the way, we are also being told that no Republican members of Congress from New York state were in that meeting - only Democrats.