Adams Administration Policy Creates Uncertainty for Asylum-Seeking Families in New York City

There is much uncertainty that has arisen with the first expiration of the 60-day period in shelter for asylum-seeking families, a policy announced by the Adams administration in October 2023.

“It feels a little desperate because, imagine, it is very difficult to get rented,” said Virginia, a Venezuelan immigrant.

“Concerning. Yes, I feel stressed,†added Donald Gutiérrez, an inmmigrant from Nicaragua.

From the old Row Hotel, now a shelter for migrant families, several parents say goodbye to their children early in the morning before they leave for school.

On Tuesday, January 9, many of these families will have to find another housing option or reapply to be readmitted to the New York shelter system.

Currently, according to official figures, around 70,000 asylum seekers are under the care of the city. To date, 4,300 families have already received notifications about their expiration in the shelter system.

Gutiérrez, father of three children ages 14, 9 and 8, hopes that his children can continue studying at the same school.

“The school district, through the government, is making an alliance to place them in a hotel near the schools,” said Gutiérrez.

In turn, he says he understands the mayor, but that without a work permit, looking for another option is very difficult.

“That had to happen, we can’t be here all the time. But the problem is that without a work permit you don’t have much of a choice here,” Gutiérrez added.

Another migrant, a mother who did not want to appear on camera, says she is afraid that her daughter will change schools.

“Of course, that is the most worrying thing too, because the children are already used to school, at least my daughter already knows English.”

For their part, organizations such as Se Hace Camino Nueva York and the New York Immigrant Coalition criticized the measure.

“Even if it is said that it will not have an impact in terms of school, we know that it is not guaranteed that they will stay in the same shelter or that the school will continue to be close to them,” said Jennifer Herná. ndez, organizer of Housing and Environmental Justice, Se Hace Camino New York. “We are asking the mayor to stop doing this and to stop evicting these families. That he tries to give them stability, because obviously this transition of people to permanent housing is much easier with a certain stability.â€

“For many of these mothers and fathers, questions have arisen: ‘what am I going to do,’ ‘what are the next steps?’ There has been little communication with them from the city,” said Kim Corona, Immigrant Coalition. from New York.

Meanwhile, Mayor Adams insists that this humanitarian crisis has cost the city billions of dollars and that is why they have made these decisions.

One of the biggest concerns of some city leaders is that families will have to wait outside, lining up in the cold to get a new spot at a shelter.

2024-01-08 20:25:00
#Migrants #worry #forced #departure #shelters