sanya, Without more context it could have several meanings. 1) The state secretary is absent in New York. There is no state secretary in New York. The job doesn't exist. 2) The state secretary is absent in New York. The state secretary is absent FROM New York, i. e, he is not in his usual or expected place (New York). The student was absent from school. "From" is the preposition that is normally associated with the adjective "absent" when you want to say that SOMEONE is not where they are expected to be. 3)The state secretary is absent in New York. The state secretary of New York is absent-minded. The state secretary is not paying attention to his job.