Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar has added her voice to the tumult, confusion and partisan grandstanding surrounding the expiration of Title 42, the policy that had allowed the U.S. to quickly deny entrance to migrants seeking asylum at the southern border.
On May 16, Aguiar declared a state of emergency with the express purpose of preventing migrants and asylum seekers from being sheltered in the town. Title 42, which had been in place since the pandemic began in March 2020, officially ended at one minute before midnight on the evening of May 11. As Title 42 expired, a swell of asylum seekers landed in New York City, straining the city’s resources and stoking fears that some would ultimately be transported to the East End.
