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The planes, chartered by the federal government, transported approximately 25 children on each aircraft, Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said.
Neuhaus said he was notified by the US Department of Health and Human Services Division of Refugee Settlement that the planes were arriving as they landed at Orange County Airport in Montgomery on Friday, Oct. 3.
The migrants, believed to be from South America, were transported to Poughkeepsie, Kingston, and New York City via private bus shortly after landing, Neuhaus added.
Four migrant flights have arrived at Orange County Airport since Friday, Sept. 16 and Neuhaus said he is seeking more information about the flights from state and federal officials.
“We are a compassionate country, my parents are immigrants, but this system is definitely questionable,” Neuhaus said. “It is very clandestine and is not optimal. think the federal government could be doing a lot better and we need some answers.”
Orange County Airport Director Ed Magryta noted that these are federal flights and the County Airport has no legal authority to stop a US-registered chartered aircraft from landing at a public use airport.
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