A motel in upstate New York kicked out guests this week to make room for a busload of migrants from New York City.
The facility, a Super 8 motel in Rotterdam, kicked guests out without warning, including some in poverty, the Times Union reported. Officials reportedly had signed a contract with the hotel to house the migrants who originally were sent from Texas.
"There are so many questions we have," Rotterdam town supervisor Mollie Collins said. "Because we haven’t been given any information."
Some of those kicked out of their rooms were people who get assistance from the Department of Social Services in Montgomery County, a neighboring jurisdiction.
New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.), who has overseen the busing of migrants to other parts of the state despite advertising his city as a sanctuary city, said the displaced guests were offered "extended stay" lodging at no charge nearby.
"Guests at that hotel were all offered to be relocated and booked for an extended stay at a comparable hotel in the same area free of charge," Adams’s office said. "All but one reservation took our contractor up on that offer and instead preferred to be re-booked at the comparable hotel on a daily basis, which we facilitated."
New York City this week announced it will distribute notices at the U.S.-Mexico border to tell migrants to "consider another city."
"Please consider another city as you make your decision about where to settle in the U.S.," the notice reads in English and Spanish.
New York City sued counties that refused to accept migrants from the city in June. Thirty-three counties and one town were named in the suit. The localities filed emergency orders to keep migrants bused in from New York City from staying in their hotels.
Adams first called for busing migrants to surrounding counties in May. Localities quickly declared emergencies, including Rockland and Orange Counties, which were slated to receive hundreds of migrants to fill their hotels. Both counties are named in the suit.
Adams has criticized Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) for "deciding to play politics with people's lives" by busing migrants to other states.
"Yes, New York City will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration," Adams tweeted while campaigning for mayor in 2021.