Stony Brook University will be used as a housing site for asylum seekers, according to a NY1 report.
The report identified dorms on three SUNY campuses that will be used to house migrants. It says the plan includes a total of 1,500 beds at Stony Brook University, the University at Buffalo and the University at Albany.
The governor's office tells News 12, "Gov. Hochul directed her administration to assess all possible state sites that could be used to provide shelter for asylum seekers. There are multiple sites under consideration, including SUNY and CUNY campuses, and no final decisions have been made."
Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo represents Stony Brook and says he has gotten a ton of calls from constituents about the possibility of migrants coming to the university. He has not confirmed that they are coming to the school but has concerns if they do.
"We don't even fingerprint or have any clue who these undocumented migrants are," Palumbo says. "Yet you're going to put them in a dorm or on the same campus as our children? No, thank you."
Other legislators nearby were frustrated that they learned about the possible plan through news reports and rumors - and not straight from the governor.
"You would think before a news release comes out that the legislators, especially the ones that represent the districts that are going to be affected would be given some type of heads up," said Rep. Ed Flood, who represents Port Jefferson
According to local legislators, state inspectors were sent to SUNY Old Westbury last week to see if the campus was a suitable location to possibly house asylum seekers.
It is not clear when a final decision on where to house migrants is going to be made by the state.
Legislators say the issue should be handled by the federal government and not local municipalities.
