Exactly 14 months have passed since New York City officially declared that it was facing an immigration crisis. When the first 4,000 asylum seekers mainly from South American countrieshad occupied spaces in the municipal shelter system, in the summer of 2022, Mayor Eric Adams sent the first cries for help to the federal government.
After more than a year of this request, the number of immigrants who have been received and cared for by the municipal government, It’s already over 90,000.
At this point, 57,000 are in the care of the City, in terms of accommodation, food and basic services.
And Adams’ call to the White House, so far no response.
With the water up to the neck”given the lack of spaces to accommodate more people who continue to arrive en masse from the southern border with Mexico, and after hundreds of public petitions, the municipal president met this week with the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas.
Additionally, 54 City and State lawmakers rallied to urge President Joe Biden to take action to help New York City, financially strangled by this humanitarian crisis.
They ask, in addition to financial aid, that asylum seekers be allowed to work quickly and legally. Also, that a state of federal emergency to expedite the issuance of work permits.
At the center of this crossroads of petitions and of an already monumental crisis, spokespersons for immigrant defense organizations, which have been key in offering services to newcomers, agree that the limit of an emergency has been reached that It cannot wait much longer for coordination between the municipal, state and federal governments.
“Two things can be true at the same time: New York City needs more support from the federal government and the mayor must do a much better job of providing real solutions to asylum seekers,” he opined. Yaritza Mendez, co organizing director of Make the Road New York.
Mendez points out that the federal government should stop trying to dismantle the asylum system and instead help strengthen it, expediting the authorization of work permits for people currently in the shelter systemthey can make their life here more quickly.
The activist at the same time demands that the City Council adopt legislation so that asylum seekers, as well as thousands of other immigrants, who call the Big Apple their home, have access to permanent housing.
“We urge both Mayor Adams and President Biden to work together to create and expand pathways to ensure the safety and well-being of the people, instead of focusing on preventing people from seeking protection,” Mendez asserted.
“You have to integrate them”
Faced with the avalanche of immigrants who continue to arrive in the Big Apple, asking for refuge and help, the absolute collapse of the municipal shelter system has forced the City to take two measures in recent weeks: Send specific messages to those who cross the border to discourage them from coming to New York and give single men 60 days to stay in shelters.
For his part, he Venezuelan activist Jesus Aguais from the organization ‘Aid for Aids’ specified that it is also an emergency to draw up a community integration route for thousands of people, who arrived en masse, and already they are part of an ecosystem that they are completely unaware of.
“The City has worked alone on this, with very little help from the federal government. It’s not just a matter of resources to offer help with the basics. This moment also requires understanding that New York taxpayers are suffering the consequences of those who flee from an entire criminal system in various countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba and Colombia. And this group of newcomers must be integrated with education. And make it clear to him, how a city like this works“Aguais asserted.
It’s time to sync
In this sense, the activist Yesenia Mata of the organization La Colmena of Staten Island emphasizes the fact that from the beginning of this crisis the City has made efforts alone, despite the fact that it is a problem of a national nature.
“It’s time to sync actions. This crisis is not going to stop, as long as there is not a single block of action, among all levels of government. Immigrants will continue to arrive and we must be more organized”, Mata pointed out.
productive meeting
Regarding the meeting he held in Washington, Mayor Eric Adams said that he had been a very productive meeting.
“We discussed the different ways we can work collaboratively to support the needs of New York City as we continue to see an unprecedented increase in immigrants. Not only did we address the city’s federal funding needs, but we also reemphasized how crucial it is to speed up the paths to work authorization for those who are arriving and are already here“said the Mayor in a statement.
He had kind words for the head of the Department of Homeland Security. “We appreciate Secretary Mayorkas’ commitment to visit the city and designate someone at DHS to serve as a point person for the needs of our asylum seekers. We look forward to seeing you and learning more about DHS’s plans for how this role will operate.”advanced Adams.
“New York City continues to see hundreds of asylum seekers arrive every day, in addition to the more than 93,000 who have arrived since last spring. We continue to do more than any other city in the country, but we need additional support.”he insisted.
other voices
In the Republican arena, the New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis indicated to local media that the immigration crisis will only end in New York, when national security legislations are considered, that would lead to the closure of the borders.
“I have said it a thousand times. This crisis was fueled by the City by misinterpreting shelter rules that should only be for homeless New Yorkers. Not for newcomers from other countries. When this door was opened, even people from other states began to arrive, under the idea that in New York whoever arrives has the right to free housing“, he finished.
