Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced this morning that New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has sent to Yonkers a group of immigrants as part of its plan to reduce the number of immigrants being taken care of by New York City.
Busloads of immigrants from border states have been arriving in New York City, which has been allocated $1 billion by New York state to house, feed and otherwise care for them while they are awaiting processing on asylum claims. The Adams administration has developed plans to relocate some from the New York City to suburban communities.
Spano said that fourteen immigrant families from New York City have arrived at the Ramada Inn in Yonkers, with a total of 34 people, largely women and children. He said the hotel has 100 rooms an he was expecting additional immigrants to be sent there. He said Yonkers would be expected to provide educational services to the children.
“We are being told that there are no school-age children coming at the moment but we also know that that can change at any time,” Spano said. “If you’re talking about children who don’t speak English and have no formal education … you’re talking about some kind of special ed.”
Spano called on New York state and New York City to work with Yonkers and provide funding that will cover the cost of services that the immigrant adults and children will need.
“It has to be something that will be shared by all,” Spano said.
Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy said, “We also are a city of immigrants who encourage people to be open to other diverse communities. However, we are calling on New York state, we are calling on New York City to contribute to ensure that we have the resources available whether it’s for health care, for education of the asylum seekers. We have welcomed them.”
Yonkers Superintendent of Schools Edwin M. Quezada said that the school system has asked the state education department to provide funding needed by the Yonkers school system to provide support services to the new school-age immigrant children and even those who have not yet reached school age. He said the city’s obligation to children kicks in when they reach age four.
Spano said that Yonkers offers adult opportunities in addition to schooling for children and that immigrant adults would be entitled to take advantage of those services. He said the city should be provided with the funding needed to cover those additional costs.
Spano said he was told by New York City officials that they intend to “share” the number of immigrant people around the suburban areas.
“It is a global issue,” Spano said. “If you think about what’s happening on the world stage and you think about individuals that have walked months at a time to be here, what’s going on where they’re living and what are we doing as a nation to deal with that?”
Forget the extra funding, everybody wants them here but nobody wants to pay for them.