Reports suggest that in Upstate New York, homeless veterans are being displaced from hotels to accommodate the increasing number of illegal immigrants arriving from the crisis at the US/Mexico border.
According to the New York Post, homeless veterans staying at several hotels in Newburgh were informed by hotel staff that their temporary housing would not be renewed, and they were instructed to leave the premises immediately.
Newburgh, located approximately 60 miles north of New York City, has reportedly become a hub for illegal immigrants in the state, with Mayor Eric Adams transporting them into the county from New York City.
Sharon Toney-Finch, CEO of the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation, an organization that provides a variety of services to military veterans, including income assistance, stated to the NY Post that “our veterans have been placed in another hotel due to what’s going on with the immigrants.”
“One of the vets called me on Sunday,” she said.
“He told me he had to leave because the hotel said the extended stay is not available. Then I got another call,” she continued. “We didn’t waste any time.”
Toney-Finch said that after she received call after call, her foundation immediately started organizing to figure out “when and where to move them all.”
“Last night, I was crying,” she said.
Although the hotels did not provide Toney-Finch with an explanation for why homeless veterans were no longer permitted to stay at their properties, she stated that the timing of the influx of illegal immigrants transported into the county confirmed to support the notion.
Toney-Finch said that 20 homeless veterans were removed from their hotels in Newburgh. 15 of them were booted from the Crossroads Hotel, three were told to leave the Super 8, and two got the boot from the Hampton Inn & Suites in Middletown.
New York City Mayor Adams began transporting illegal immigrants via buses to Upstate New York on Thursday just ahead of Title 42’s expiration, the Trump-era policy instituted under Covid that granted Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security officials the ability to expel illegal immigrants over health concerns.
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