BP Fossella Requests Gov. Hochul Initiate Federal Response For NYC, Staten Island Migrant Crisis
BP Fossella formally requests Governor Hochul to initiate federal response for NYC migrant crisis
Letter asks for FEMA-like response to curb financial impact this has on Staten Island
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito J. Fossella has sent a letter to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul tonight to officially request the state to use its authority to initiate the process for President Biden to make an Emergency Declaration concerning the thousands of asylum seekers arriving unexpectedly in New York City.
Borough President Fossella states in this letter that he would like to further call upon President Biden to authorize a FEMA or FEMA-like response to the situation impacting Staten Island and all of New York City.
Staten Island has received a national level of coverage regarding the migrant families sheltering in the Travis neighborhood, as well as concerns surrounding the enrollment of migrant children in the borough’s already overcrowded schools.
In the letter, Borough President Fossella questions the obligatory nature of the “right to shelter” law New York City has in place, and whether it applies to foreign asylum seekers arriving at an alarming rate.
He believes this emergency situation is a federal problem, not a state or borough problem, and clearly well beyond the financial and physical resources of any municipality to meet.
Banner Image: Governor Hochul. Image Credit – MTA
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.
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