Since last spring close to 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City. In early May, Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to begin busing asylum seekers upstate. By the end of the month buses reached the Capital Region. No one was prepared for what happened next.
The arrival of migrants in Colonie over Memorial Day weekend served as a preview of what was to come. Buses pulling into hotel parking lots in the middle of night, catching local officials off-guard and quickly prompting them to pursue legal action. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy says there are now more than 700 asylum seekers in the county, people who faced oppression, discrimination and more in their home countries
"This is an issue created by New York City, we know that they are currently being overwhelmed with the number of migrants being sent their way in a short span of time," McCoy said. "But ultimately, we need their contractor DocGo to seriously improve their operations and be a better partner to those in the community and the migrants."
McCoy says last contact he had with DocGo was June 22nd. The buses continue to arrive, making it difficult to mobilize resources to welcome and settle the newcomers. Compounding that, McCoy says DocGo isn't letting area non-profits meet with migrants.
"They said they're all, everyone's being vaccinated. Everything's up to par. This is where they're in paperwork, but they don't show us anything. But yet my health department has been reached out to to provide vaccine for chickenpox and TB screening," said McCoy. "So these are things, and there's no cases here, but these are the things that they want us to do. And it's like, Wait, you're getting all this money, DocGo. You know, and we're providing the services, we just want to be able to deliver the services."
McCoy says one local pantry sent $6,000 of food to Albany's Ramada Inn because one of the food contractors DocGo retained wasn’t delivering the service. The non-profit wants to get resupplied or reimbursed but McCoy says DocGo has used HIPPA and "hides behind different rules" besides not communicating with officials.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, a fellow Democrat, says she knows New York City is facing an unprecedented challenge, but things have reached a point where migrant's lives are being negatively impacted. Sheehan says she is very concerned that individuals have been harmed by what's happening in the hotels.
"We are learning that the health care needs of the asylum seekers who are coming here are not being met," Sheehan said. "People are being dropped off at doctors offices and not picked up. People are being taken to places like Capital District Latinos with no transportation back. People are actually even being left with individuals who are there to determine whether or not they are able to seek asylum, from Homeland Security, without knowing how they're going to be transported back to the hotels. I have received a letter from a case manager who quit, who had been hired to work at the hotels who talked about spoiled food, about lack of coordination. About what she perceived as being aggressive and bullying tactics by individuals within DocGo impacting the individuals who are here trying to seek asylum, the very people who they are supposed to be caring for."
Sheehan is calling on New York City to hold DocGo accountable and asking the Biden Administration to take action.
"I want to know where are the auditors? Where are the inspectors? Why does it appear that there is zero accountability here in the Capital Region, for what New York City is spending nearly half a billion dollars on for a contract," Sheehan asked. "Half a billion dollars. And finally, I know we've talked about it. The Chamber of Commerce has talked about it, the New York State Business Council has talked about it. We are calling on the federal government to act."
DocGo did not respond to a request for comment from WAMC.
Mickey Jiminez with Capital District Latinos says the outreach is also being stonewalled by DocGo.
"We've attempted just like our officials here to make calls. I've had social workers that volunteer for me show up to the hotels, and they're not allowing them to speak to them. And what we're hearing from these these folks, is that there is retribution if they speak to the media," Jiminez said.
State Assemblymember Pat Fahy says Governor Kathy Hochul is aware of the situation and has been advocating at the federal level. Assemblymember John McDonald is a fellow Democrat.
"The question is What in God's name is DocGo doing? Basically, they are a corporate behemoth that moves commodities. That's what they are. These individuals are not commodities, they're human beings, and they need to be treated like that. So the message is very clear. DocGo, New York City, Washington, let's get to work," said McDonald.
