Governor Kathy Hochul today extended an Executive Order which provides the State with greater flexibility to procure the resources necessary for municipalities to support asylum seekers and provide them with humanitarian aid. This Executive Order comes as Governor Hochul continues working to address the asylum seeker crisis, which includes the Governor’s ongoing conversations with the White House urging federal action to support New York.
“While New York continues to respond to the asylum seeker crisis, I’m extending our State of Emergency to ensure communities have the resources needed to support our ongoing efforts,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration remains committed to ensuring state and local officials have all of the support they need to address this unprecedented humanitarian crisis."
Executive Order 28.6 continues to allow the State and localities to quickly respond to the arrival of asylum seekers. It continues to allow New York State to mobilize members of the National Guard, who currently provide logistical and operational support at shelter sites. It will also allow the State and localities to quickly purchase necessary supplies and resources, including food and equipment. The Executive Order is necessary for New York State’s continued response to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis and provides the State with the ability for a more robust response.
Responding to New York’s Asylum Seeker Crisis
Governor Hochul has identified work authorization as the path out of this crisis, allowing migrants and asylum seekers to leave taxpayer-funded shelters and begin living independently as generations of immigrants have done. After months of advocacy from Governor Hochul and a broad coalition of political, civic and business leaders, the White House announced plans to grant Temporary Protected Status to individuals who arrive in the United States from Venezuela on or before July 31, 2023; the City of New York estimates this will allow more than 15,000 Venezuelan individuals to attain legal work status within 30 days.
Earlier this month, the Governor announced the State has identified more than 18,000 job openings with nearly 400 employers who are willing to hire migrants and asylum seekers who have attained legal work status in the United States. Governor Hochul continues to have conversations with the White House to call on the federal government to provide additional personnel as well as more funding to help New York cover the costs of this crisis.
Additionally, the Governor has surged personnel and resources to case management, to help migrants and asylum seekers fill out the necessary paperwork to attain legal work status. This includes deploying 250 National Guard personnel assigned to full-time case management services, part of a deployment of more than 2,100 National Guard personnel to address this ongoing situation. The Governor has also deployed significant financial resources to support case management, including $20 million allocated to local nonprofits serving asylum seekers and migrants; $20 million to help New York City with a casework surge through NYC Health + Hospitals; $10 million for migrant legal services.
Governor Hochul has led a robust state response to this crisis. Overall, the State has committed $1.7 billion to support asylum seekers and migrants, including for shelter, transportation and social services; the State recently advanced $250 million to the City for these purposes. The State has also offered up multiple State-owned sites, such as the former Lincoln Correctional Facility in Manhattan and Building 197 at JFK Airport, to be used as shelters; the State is also covering the cost of multiple Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) at Creedmoor Psychiatric Facility and on Randall's Island.
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