NEW YORK, NY – Erie County in New York had been gracious in accepting illegal aliens seeking asylum until sex assault claims were made against two of those allowed in. Now, county management is seeking a pause until security and screening has been enhanced.
Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, had agreed in the past to accept illegal aliens from New York City, believing that the city would be able to vet all who were allowed in, something that Poloncarz alleges was not done. According to Poloncarz, the lack of security and vetting measures led to two sexual assault allegations being levied against illegal aliens at a hotel they were housed out in Cheektowaga, New York.
In a statement, Poloncarz reported, “Yesterday afternoon, I was advised of a serious incident involving an asylum seeker being housed at a Cheektowaga hotel. As was described by Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould, a suspect is now in custody.”
Poloncarz went on to call for a halt to any further illegal aliens from entering the county until further security measures can be developed to increase the safety of the citizens in the county.
He continued, “I demanded that [New York City] Mayor [Eric] Adams pause all further transportation of asylum seekers to our community until such time as we can resolve all security issues. He agreed and informed me that they will not send any additional persons to Erie County at this time.”
Poloncarz then went on to say the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, has agreed to station National Guard members at each of the hotels where illegal aliens are being housed. Poloncarz said the move was to “act as a stabilizing presence.”
“I thank Governor Hochul and [New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie] Bray for offering this assistance to further assure that the safety of the entire community comes first,” Poloncarz said. “As we have done for years, Erie county opened its arms to try and welcome these new Americans. Unfortunately, there is no way to make the program as presently run sustainable. Two serious, violent crimes in two weeks are two too many.
“Our refugee agencies did their best to provide support and assistance, but our community’s trust and good faith have been betrayed. We were assured of safety, security, and proper screening. Clearly that hasn’t been done…New York City needs to fix this. Erie county will continue to welcome refugees and those seeking shelter under the traditional programs, just as we have for years. These recent incidents shouldn’t color attitudes toward our new American neighbors.”
Poloncarz goes on to state more needs to be done on a federal level to avoid situations like these in the future.
“Finally, Erie County, the town of Cheektowaga and the state cannot solve what is essentially a federal issue," he said. "The Biden Administration and the United States Congress must act on this and truly implement comprehensive immigration reform.”
While Poloncarz blames Mayor Adams for the lack of safety in his county, his Republican challenger, Chrissy Casilio places the blame squarely on Poloncarz and his policies.
“100 percent of the blame is on Mark Poloncarz," Casilio said. "There’s no other person to blame but him because he is the one that decided to put politics over the people of Erie County. And now, this is what we get.”
Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, had agreed in the past to accept illegal aliens from New York City, believing that the city would be able to vet all who were allowed in, something that Poloncarz alleges was not done. According to Poloncarz, the lack of security and vetting measures led to two sexual assault allegations being levied against illegal aliens at a hotel they were housed out in Cheektowaga, New York.
In a statement, Poloncarz reported, “Yesterday afternoon, I was advised of a serious incident involving an asylum seeker being housed at a Cheektowaga hotel. As was described by Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould, a suspect is now in custody.”
Poloncarz went on to call for a halt to any further illegal aliens from entering the county until further security measures can be developed to increase the safety of the citizens in the county.
He continued, “I demanded that [New York City] Mayor [Eric] Adams pause all further transportation of asylum seekers to our community until such time as we can resolve all security issues. He agreed and informed me that they will not send any additional persons to Erie County at this time.”
Poloncarz then went on to say the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, has agreed to station National Guard members at each of the hotels where illegal aliens are being housed. Poloncarz said the move was to “act as a stabilizing presence.”
“I thank Governor Hochul and [New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie] Bray for offering this assistance to further assure that the safety of the entire community comes first,” Poloncarz said. “As we have done for years, Erie county opened its arms to try and welcome these new Americans. Unfortunately, there is no way to make the program as presently run sustainable. Two serious, violent crimes in two weeks are two too many.
“Our refugee agencies did their best to provide support and assistance, but our community’s trust and good faith have been betrayed. We were assured of safety, security, and proper screening. Clearly that hasn’t been done…New York City needs to fix this. Erie county will continue to welcome refugees and those seeking shelter under the traditional programs, just as we have for years. These recent incidents shouldn’t color attitudes toward our new American neighbors.”
Poloncarz goes on to state more needs to be done on a federal level to avoid situations like these in the future.
“Finally, Erie County, the town of Cheektowaga and the state cannot solve what is essentially a federal issue," he said. "The Biden Administration and the United States Congress must act on this and truly implement comprehensive immigration reform.”
While Poloncarz blames Mayor Adams for the lack of safety in his county, his Republican challenger, Chrissy Casilio places the blame squarely on Poloncarz and his policies.
“100 percent of the blame is on Mark Poloncarz," Casilio said. "There’s no other person to blame but him because he is the one that decided to put politics over the people of Erie County. And now, this is what we get.”
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