Busload of Migrants Dropped Off in Utica, New Hartford-area?
Did a busload of illegal immigrants who recently entered the country get dropped-off at an area hotel that sits near the border of Utica and New Hartford?
WIBX 950 was made aware of social media posts circulating online Monday that showed a group of people standing outside a motorcoach bus next to the Quality Inn and Suites on Chenango Road in New Hartford. Those in the photo were shown holding what appeared to be large bags, presumably containing personal items, with the poster of the photo commenting that the group had been shipped upstate from New York City.
However, staff at the hotel say that wasn't quite the case.
Officials told WIBX 950 a group of migrant workers had been staying at the hotel for the past month or so and were contracted to work for a local company. Staff said the group had packed up all their personal items and had bordered a bus on Monday because their work was done, and were headed back to Mexico.
The flow of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. via the country's southern border with Mexico has been a political hot-topic for years. To call attention to the large numbers of migrants coming into the U.S. and overwhelming social services programs in border states, like Texas, some Republican governors have sent busloads of migrants to Democrat-run cities like New York and Washington D.C.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have been among those who have discussed the possibility sending the overflow to upstate cities until another solution is decided.