Asylees from New York City begin to depart Albany hotels

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The contract with DocGo, the company hired by New York City to take care of migrants, expired at one area hotel, Tuesday night. NEWS10 has learned new information on the process for the migrants left behind.

December 10th was that deadline at the Albany Ramada Plaza. However, migrants there have an additional 24 hours until those buses that dropped them off make their way back up here on Wednesday, picking the migrants up and relocating them back down to the city.

“Because we've got an extra 24 hours, we're continuing our advocacy of the New York City Mayor's Office, Governor Hochul’s Office, to see if we can find some resources to provide continuation services,” said Daniel Butterworth, Executive Director at RISSE, Capital Region group providing immigrant support services. He tells NEWS10 Reporter, James De La Fuente that the migrants want to stay. “We believe that about 250 would like to remain in the Capital Region because they have roots here and have started to create a life,” said Butterworth.

We last reported that RISSE and other community-based care groups joined forces with United Way of the Greater Capital Region to try and take over the local migrant housing situation. But Butterworth says, “that RFP that we had been working on in collaboration with the United Way was rejected and no feedback or alternate avenues presented to us from the downstate entities.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says, “Thanks to our smart management strategies, we’ve turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we’re announcing today is even more proof that we’re managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation.”

However, Butterworth says the groups are taking it to top New York leadership. “Given that there were $2.4 billion earmarked for services for asylum seekers, for the most part went to New York City, there's still funding out there that New York City is sitting on that should be available for this effort,” explains the executive director.

Butterworth says there is a plan, though. Telling De La Fuente they have a shelter, and services lined up, they just need funding. “The proposal is to provide up to six months of support so that we can help folks transition to a more permanent solution. And obviously it's not an ideal situation, but we can make it work,” explained Butterworth.

The Holiday Inn Express, the only other hotel left housing New York City migrants, reaches its contract deadline on December 13th.