NYC’s upstate migrant transfers in jeopardy as judge blocks hotel from housing asylum seekers

New York City’s plan to send migrants upstate has hit a snag in light of a local judge blocking a Rockland County hotel from housing any asylum seekers for the time being.

Mayor Adams’ administration initially intended to on Wednesday transport about 30 migrants to live at the Armoni Inn and Suites in Rockland’s Orangetown — part of an effort to relocate some 300 asylum seekers to upstate counties amid the city’s deepening crisis.

But State Supreme Court Judge Christie D’Alessio issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday night barring the Orangetown hotel from housing any migrants. The restraining order came after Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny filed a lawsuit alleging Armoni would violate local laws against using hotels to house “non-transient guests” by sheltering migrants.

D’Alessio’s order will stay in place at least through Monday, when she set a hearing for both sides to meet in court.

Adams spokesman Fabien Levy would not immediately say whether the city will pump the brakes on the migrant transport to Rockland, instead deferring to Armoni. “We will allow the hotel to decide how to move forward,” he said.

Representatives for Armoni did not immediately return requests for comment.

Kenny, a Republican who has this week harshly criticized Adams’ upstate relocation initiative, said migrants won’t be housed at the hotel this week on her watch.

“The sheriff can and will enforce a judge’s order,” Kenny told the Daily News on Wednesday morning. “Shame on the mayor.”

Though the Rockland County transfer appears to be off, Levy said Adams’ administration intends to still send another 30 migrants to a hotel in the Orange County city of Newburgh on Wednesday.

Like Kenny, Republican officials in Orange County have protested the Adams administration’s migrant transfer program and claimed it would violate their local laws, too. However, as of Wednesday morning, there was no indication that a court would step in to block the Newburgh transport.

This story will be updated.