Orange, Rockland counties declare states of emergency amid NYC's migrant plan

ROCKLAND COUNTY - Orange and Rockland counties both declared states of emergency following New York City’s plan to bus migrants out of the city. 

The declarations prohibit hotels in the two suburban counties from housing migrants.

About 340 single adult men are expected to be sent to the Armoni Inn and Suites in Orangeburg in Rockland County. The county executives, both Republicans, are furious at Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat.

Residents are also furious, with a packed town meeting in Orangetown seeing almost uniform opposition to Adams' plan.

"What the city of New York is doing is more akin to human trafficking than providing services," Rockland County Executive Ed Day said at a news conference. "We are not equipped to humanely assist these individuals, which eventually we’re going to have to do."

RELATED: Rockland County state of emergency upon arrival of NYC asylum-seekers, lawmakers weigh in

More than 60,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since last spring – more than half of those remain in the city’s care.

The situation is only expected to worsen with Thursday’s expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era program that allowed for the expulsion of thousands of migrants arriving in the U.S. in the name of public health.

New York City anticipates receiving up to 800 migrants each day when Title 42 ends.

The Adams Administration aims to take a regional approach to disperse migrants among multiple communities to even the load.

"We cannot put the needs of the people who are being sent here ahead of our own residents," Day said. "I will not accept that."

Rockland County has threatened to fine any hotels that don’t get county approval to house migrants $2,000 per day per migrant, or a $68,000 daily fine.