Exit strategy for Capital District migrants in crisis

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Capital Region became part of the migrant crisis when DocGo, the company hired by New York City to care for the asylum seekers, bused dozens of families to local motels. DocGo's contract expires in just over two months, December 31st. What happens to the people, some of whom have been here a year and half, and whose children may have started a second year in area schools?

“The State of New York and Washington [D.C.] has showed a total disrespect for these folks that Washington allowed into our country without a plan and then left them on busses, shuttled around our countryside,” said Peter Crummey, Colonie Town Supervisor.

The first migrants bussed from New York City to the capital region came late in the night Memorial Day weekend of 2023. A spokesperson with the New York City Administration says they are not renewing the deal with DocGo, but they still reserve the right to relocate the migrants. Which means they could be sent back to New York City or anywhere else, depending on who the next provider is and where they make deals with.

“To uproot them again would be a disservice to them. It would be a disservice to the families, friends, employers who they've built connections with,” said Dan Butterworth, Executive Director, RISSE.

Butterworth heads an Albany organization that helps refugees. He says we need to figure this out sooner than later, “So we really would like and plan and hope that we will be able to get this in place before the end of the calendar year.”

Deals were also made with Capital District schools, but the superintendent of the Mohanesen School District says the students that were enrolled there have been moved. "Most of our migrant students from last year have enrolled in Albany CSD. We had a harried end of the school year with our migrant families being kicked out of the Super 8 and then a number of other hotels in rapid succession, but we were able to have them finish out the year at Mohonasen ... We were not informed about this shift at any point."

And, as for the migrant children in Colonie schools, they too have been moved. Town Supervisor Peter Crummey echoes Superintendent Shine when it comes to the sudden exit and says there are now just a few students remaining. “The amount of students that were coming from that space has dwindled drastically. In fact, in May of 2024, North Colonie School System had at least 114 students,” explained Crummey.

Albany Central School District confirms the students have been placed with them. “All or most of the ENL families with school-age students that moved into the Mohonasen and North Colonie School Districts last school year have transferred to our district for this school year. I believe the total number of students is about 70,” said Don Lesko with Albany Central School District.

And, what about the single migrants staying in Capital Region hotels? Well, it's hard to tell where they are going. Especially with several area hotels changing their names and the NYC administration relocating them. A spokesperson with the administration tells NEWS10 Reporter, James De La Fuente, they have staff to support migrant efforts in relocation, job, and housing placement over the next couple of months.

“We have families. We want to work. We want to contribute. We want to all the same things as everyone else. But we can't go forward with any of this because we don't have a permission to do so,” said Venezuelan migrant, “Jose”. He has been staying at an Albany hotel since March of 2024. When he filled out paperwork for asylum March 12th, he was told that in 50 days he would know more. He says he hasn’t been told a thing since. “I want to be able to get my work permit because I can't even start to look for work, because there's no option of even that being a possibility. And that's all I want to do, is just you know, get to work. Like, I want to contribute.”

NEWS10 Reporter, James De La Fuente asked him if he has plans for when the contract ends. “After December 31st, I'm going to stay here,” stated the asylum seeker.

And, as a vulnerable community, asylum seekers are easy pickings for scammers. The latest scam circulating is one involving about $3000 to get them to Texas and into a rent-free place for three months. “It sounded kind of strange. But I didn't [believe it] it sounded like, you know, a rumor.”

NEWS10 has reached out to New York Administration for more on the scam and for an official total of migrants left here in our area. They have not responded to those questions as of this publication.