The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Mexican Consulate, and the New York City Occupational Safety and Health Committee have joined forces to combat the proliferation of ID cards for construction workers.
In recent months, thousands of fake cards have appeared in yards selling on the street for between 100 and 500 dollars.
Its carriers have not received Department of Labor safety training that saves lives in one of the city’s most dangerous trades.
This week, these workers can go to the diplomatic headquarters in Midtown to hand them over without suffering consequences.
The @ConsulMexNuyinvites you to stay informed and avoid scams, which is why this Thursday and Friday @ManhattanD will enable a form to receive fake OSHA and SST cards in exchange for legitimate training, which will open the door to the job market. pic.twitter.com/EzAZ1lDMbc
— Consulate General of Mexico in New York (@ConsulMexNuy) December 7, 2022
“The worst part is that they can be deported. This is a way for the consulate to protect the workers who come to turn over these unfortunate apocryphal credentials or accreditations and we exchange them for a ‘voucher’ so they can repeat the course, legitimate and legal and that they are given authentic identification of what all security courses have completed in a timely manner,” explained Jorge Islas López, Consul General of Mexico.
“Instead of punishing the worker and leaving him without cards and without opportunities, without a job, the idea is to trade a fake card for an opportunity,” said NYCOSH’s Charlie Uruchima.
In addition to the fact that with this initiative workers do not have to lose wage days, they also do not have to worry about being arrested.
“This is an amnesty event. They will not be asked where they got it, how they got it. What we want is for the workers and the community to know that we at the Attorney’s Office want them to be safe in their place of work,” said Joselinne Minaya, director of the Manhattan (Washington Heights) district attorney’s office.
While there will be absolutely no negative consequences for workers who return purchased counterfeit cards, the prosecutor’s office is working to jail the counterfeiters. The event, assures Consul Islas, is open to everyone, not just the Mexicans who are dedicated to this profession.
“We welcome the entire Hispanic community.”
Which is good news for Angel and his colleagues.
Angel.
“It’s a good idea, because the truth is that some people don’t have the money and the counterfeiters have taken advantage of the fact that the city is very expensive,” said Ángel.
Interested construction workers can also come to the Mexican Consulate on Fridays from 9:00 to 18:00.
