Allegany County has dropped its State of Emergency from last month pertaining to migrants and asylum seekers due to the lack of an emergency.
Board of Legislators Chairman W. Brooke Harris announced today that his emergency declaration “concerning the migrant crisis” was allowed to expire yesterday at the end of a 30-day issuance period in May.
“We are not aware of any migrants or asylum seekers associated with New York City’s crisis entering our County, nor have we received communication from the State that any migrant placements within Allegany County are planned or imminent,” Harris said, adding that the county “will continue to monitor the situation closely and are prepared to issue a new Declaration and Orders if deemed necessary and appropriate.”
Last month’s action was questionable from the start due to the county admitting there was no known threat, and neighboring Steuben County subsequently declining to issue a declaration due to state law which “requires specific thresholds for an emergency to be declared, including the presence of ‘an immediate danger,'” which hadn’t been demonstrated.
There also was no accompanying order for county residents, businesses or others to follow which apparently saved the county from a lawsuit filed on June 7 by New York City against 33 other counties which had sought to prohibit migrants or asylum seekers from being transported into their areas for lodging purposes.
Allegany Hope Community News, queried the board chairman at the time the emergency declaration was issued in regard to its legality, but didn’t receive a response.