Homeless veterans have been booted from hotels in upstate New York to presumably make room for the growing influx of migrants flowing from the southern border, according to a nonprofit working with the veterans.
CEO of the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation Sharon Toney-Finch told the New York Post she was notified by veterans that they were getting kicked out of the hotels they were being housed at as they waited for more permanent housing options.
Although they were not told explicitly it was due to the migrant surge, she said that was evident given the timing as officials battle the border surge and spillover amid the end of Title 42.
New York State Assemblyman Brian Maher, R., slammed the Biden administration and New York officials for allowing them to be kicked out of their hotels during "Fox & Friends First."
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"So the Biden administration, Governor Hochul, and the city of New York, they all have a part in this, and it's a total embarrassment," Maher told co-host Joey Jones Monday. "It's a slap in the face to veterans, to citizens of New York in this country, who are really being cast aside to allow for asylum seekers to come here."
"At the end of the day, when it comes to this particular situation, you had combat veterans who were homeless, who were told to get out of their hotel," he continued. "After one day, Sharon and her team scrambled to find them locations, and right now, what we've tried to do is let those veterans know we appreciate them. We're embarrassed by what's happened to them, but we have their backs."
There were reportedly 20 veterans who were told they would no longer receive temporary housing at the hotels – 15 of those former service members were at the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh.
This is the same hotel migrants arrived at last week in New York City Mayor Eric Adams' attempt to alleviate the impact of the southern border surge on the Big Apple's already-strained resources.
The other five veterans were at either the Super 8 or the Hampton Inn & Suites in Middletown. Since the calls, the veterans were re-housed at a Hudson Valley hotel about 20 minutes away.
The surge is even derailing weddings, with one Florida couple reporting the hotel canceled rooms previously booked for her out-of-town guests.
"We just know about 20 veterans, and we know about weddings whose parties have been canceled," Maher said. "We don't know how far-reaching this is, and what Sharon has been hearing is throughout the country, other veterans organizations and other organizations that really help at-risk Americans are coming forward and letting her know, hey, it's happened to us, but they're afraid to speak out."
Toney-Finch, a disabled veteran who began the nonprofit to raise awareness on veteran issues, said the individuals were only at the hotels for a couple of weeks when they were told they had to leave.
They were originally supposed to stay there for up to four weeks until the group was able to secure more permanent housing options.
"Sharon spoke out, and now she's getting hate messages. She asked me to handle this interview today because she wants to focus on the veterans," Maher said. "And by the way, one of these veterans, 30 years old, he was there for the Afghanistan pullout. For me, one of the most embarrassing moments for our country in our history. And after getting home, he was kicked out of this hotel trying to reintegrate back into our society."
Adams previously said the city will weigh "all options" to house asylum seekers as it grapples with housing potentially hundreds of migrants arriving each day, coinciding with the end of Title 42.
He has bussed the city's overflow of migrants into upstate New York against the wishes of city officials, as the fallout from the ending of the COVID-era policy continues.
