The best answer is, As governor of New York Roosevelt had taken active steps to provide aid for citizens.
During the Presidential election of 1932 Governor of New York and Democrat, Franklin Roosevelt ran against the sitting President, Hoover on the platform of providing aiding to Americans, specifically those in New York. This political advantage saw Roosevelt's victory over President Hoover and elected him to be the 32nd President of the United States, who would go on to be one of the most important and influential Presidents of the United States.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was proposed by the President Nixon, this Agency followed a set of measures aimed to improve air quality, to avoid water pollution, to reduce the emission of dangerous fumes and to invest in preventive strategies against oil spills. The EPA had many responsibilities in the United States, two of them were to research about pollutants and to set standards for factories to reduce their impact on the environment.
I would think that people would want to stay were they are you can sometimes get a passport for the things you need and get