Homeless veterans in New York are being forced to leave their hotel stays as officials make room for migrants from the southern border. According to Sharon Toney-Finch, CEO of the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation which works with homeless and low-income veterans, 20 veterans were asked to leave two hotels in the Orange County area which is near New York City. 15 were asked to leave the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh while 5 were asked to leave a Super 8 and a Hampton Inn and Suites in Middletown.
The reason for the veterans being moved out of their hotel stays is because New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been moving migrants, many of whom are awaiting court dates, to Orange County. This influx of migrants has caused the hotels to be paid more to house them instead of veterans, according to Toney-Finch. She states that the veterans were paying $88 a day to stay at the hotels, but the city pays more for the migrants.
The veterans are now in the process of being moved to a hotel in Hudson Valley while the foundation works to find them permanent housing. However, Toney-Finch says that the trust the veterans had in the foundation has been damaged due to the move.
“That’s so unfair, because at the end of the day, we are a small nonprofit, and we do pay $88 a day for a veteran to be there,” she said.
State Assemblyman Brian Maher has spoken out on the issue, saying that the veterans should be respected and given priority over the migrants. He believes that the veterans should be put first.
“Whether you agree with asylum-seekers being here or not, we can’t just ignore these veterans that are in our charge that we are supposed to protect: the New Yorkers and Americans,” Maher, who represents Orange County told the Post. “We need to put them first.”
20 homeless veterans booted from NY hotel to make room for bussed-in migrants. pic.twitter.com/l9miXfUHo2
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 15, 2023
