Asylees arrested in Colonie

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Police in Colonie are investigating multiple violent crimes involving asylum seekers who were transported from New York City to local hotels. In the first months after the asylum seekers arrived in the Capital Region many local leaders said police calls to the hotels where they were staying had gone down.

Within the past week Colonie police have arrested four migrants. The charges stem from separate incidents including a domestic assault where a woman was slashed, a knife fight that sent one person to the hospital, and an assault and burglary at the Cricket Wireless store on Central Avenue.  All the asylees were staying at the SureStay Plus Hotel in Colonie.

Police don’t believe this is a trend, but it does raise some concerns, "Any spike in crime like this that occurs at one location or involving people from the same location it should be a concern to anybody. So, it doesn't have to do with that it's at this hotel that's housing Asylum Seekers, this would be alarming at any location. Honestly, since they moved in around May we haven't had a lot of problems," said Lieutenant Daniel Belles.

Colonie Town Supervisor, Peter Crummey, says he’s also concerned about the arrests. But he says he’s more worried for the migrant’s following the arrest of an employee at the SureStay hotel.

Simrandeep Singh is accused of raping a non-asylee hotel guest. Crummey is calling for more vetting of asylees as well those working at the hotels.

“The federal government allowed these folks to come in without a plan putting them in harm's way. As well without a plan without any way to assimilate into the United States of America like our ancestors did. Our country has been built on immigration,” said Supervisor Crummey.