BUFFALO, N.Y. — A recently announced decision by a local college regarding shelter for asylum seekers may spark even more controversy in Erie County.
Back in May when Gov. Kathy Hochul was talking about the idea of possibly housing asylum seekers in SUNY and CUNY campuses around the state, SUNY Buffalo State University leaders, without announcing it publicly, worked out an arrangement with the Jericho Road resettlement agency to house 30 to 45 migrants in dorms on the campus. They were mostly family members.
But now apparently that spirit of cooperation is over with the start of the school year.
CEO Dr. Myron Glick of Jericho Road Community Health informed 2 On Your Side that 44 of those asylum seekers who were placed at Buffalo State dorms in temporary housing will be "evicted" on Monday.
In total he stated:
“On Monday, 44 of our Vive residents will be evicted from their temporary housing on Buffalo State campus. This decision by Buffalo State Administration was influenced by prejudice in the Buffalo community against asylum seekers. These asylum seekers have fled atrocities in their home country and are seeking a safe place to call home here in our community. When we do nothing as others suffer, we become responsible for what we witness. We know this community to be a welcoming place, we know it as the City of Good Neighbors. It is time for that Buffalo to step up. We are committed to finding temporary shelter for all 44 of these residents." Dr. Glick said in a statement.
That follows the Sunday Facebook statement from Buffalo State University interim president Bonita Durand. She stated that after careful consideration she made the "difficult decision" to not enter into an additional revocable permit with references to the start of a new academic year and a focus on launching that year for students and the campus.
She again also noted there was no public disclosure of the housing agreement from May through early August to protect the migrant families and the campus community. Durand added that Jericho Road had recently requested an extension for such housing through February.
Then after stating this was in the "best interests" of the students and campus, Durand said they had tried to connect Jericho Road with other organizations to find alternate housing.
On Sunday night, Glick said Jericho Road is committed to finding that shelter for the asylum seekers. But he also stated specifically "this decision by the Buffalo State administration was influenced by prejudice in the Buffalo community against asylum seekers."
Glick then referred to Buffalo as a welcoming place and City of Good Neighbors and that it was "time for that Buffalo to step up"
The Buffalo State statement did not reference the two recent alleged sexual assault cases and the one tuberculosis case involving the migrants housed at hotels in Cheektowaga.
In a separate report in The Buffalo News, Glick emphasized that the migrants at Buffalo State were not bused from New York City and were placed in the dorms as a temporary way to ease crowding at the Vive Shelter which is also operated by Jericho Road in Buffalo.