NEW YORK CITY, NY — On March 7, New York City mayor Eric Adams announced a new approach to the surge of asylum seekers arriving in the five boroughs since the spring of 2022. Over 50,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since April, with over 30,000 currently in the city’s custody according to the office of the mayor. 

The new approach includes a partnership with the Center for Discovery and with SUNY Sullivan. One hundred asylum seekers will have the opportunity to live at the SUNY Sullivan campus and receive workforce training as they move through the federal work authorization process. According to Sullivan County Health and Human Services Commissioner John Liddle, the program will identify individuals who have some kind of health-care experience and train them through SUNY Sullivan for work placements with Center for Discovery. 

“We are proud to have collaborated with the mayor on this visionary pilot program,” said Dr. Terry Hamlin, president of Center for Discovery,  and Jay Quaintance, SUNY Sullivan president. “The Center for Discovery will offer the chance for migrants to learn about health care in a groundbreaking program in a beautiful setting. It will offer the opportunity to study on the campus of the renowned SUNY Sullivan, as community colleges are the gateway to affordable higher education in this country. This program represents the very best of what New Yorkers and Americans are about: learning, opportunity and empathy.” 

Other programs announced as part of Adam’s new initiative include efforts to reduce misinformation and encourage participation for employment efforts, working with nonprofits and houses of worship to offer asylum seekers a wider array of relocation choices, and advocating for additional support from state and federal governments. 

“We’re tentatively optimistic regarding a positive result for those involved,” said chairman of the Sullivan County Legislature Rob Doherty, following a meeting with officials from SUNY Sullivan and from the Center for Discovery.