What you should know
- A winter clothing giveaway was held Thursday at Floyd Bennett Field to help migrants deal with the frigid temperatures the tri-state area has been facing over the past few days — frigid temperatures that still haven’t stopped applicants from asylum seekers wait overnight in hopes of receiving a New York City identification card.
- However, an aid worker who supports migrants with hot soup, coffee and blankets, but who did not want to be identified, said the process is not that simple. “There’s a misconception that when you get a New York City ID card, you immediately get a federal work permit, and that’s not how it works,” the aid worker said.
- A similar situation under extremely cold temperatures also took place Thursday in Lower Manhattan, with asylum seekers trying to track their immigration status.
NEW YORK — A winter clothing giveaway was held Thursday at Floyd Bennett Field to help migrants deal with the frigid temperatures the tri-state area has been facing over the past few days – frigid temperatures that still have not prevented asylum seekers from waiting overnight in hopes of receiving a New York City ID card.
Video shows dozens of asylum seekers waiting in line to obtain a municipal identification card in front of a city office building in Boerum Hill.
“I can’t get a job because I don’t have an ID,” a 61-year-old Honduran migrant woman said Thursday morning, adding that she had been sitting in the cold since 8 pm the night before trying to get an ID card.
However, an aid worker who supports migrants with hot soup, coffee and blankets, but who did not want to be identified, said the process is not that simple.
“There’s a misconception that when you get a New York City ID card, you immediately get a federal work permit, and that’s not how it works,” the aid worker said.
Meanwhile, Alejandro, a 23-year-old Venezuelan migrant, and his friends pleaded with city staff to schedule an appointment to apply for the city’s coveted ID.
“The city isn’t even trying to tell migrants, ‘Hey, listen, you might want to wait until it’s warmer to wait for this identification,'” the aid worker said.
The New York City ID card is free for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status. Provides access to a range of services and programs offered by the city.
A similar situation under extremely cold temperatures also took place Thursday in Lower Manhattan, with asylum seekers trying to track their immigration status.
“The federal government can turn off some heaters or some rooms or get more staff,” said Alexander Rapaport, executive director of the Masbia Relief Team.
Meanwhile, at the Floyd Bennett Field migrant camp, city officials and private donors organized a distribution of winter clothing and toys for asylum-seeking families.
Many of the migrants are experiencing their first winter in North America.
“We’re handing out hats and packs to keep families warm during the winter,” said Ted Long, vice president of NYC Health + Hospitals.
“We have been able to come together as New Yorkers and the city government to help people who have been through so much,” said New York City Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs Manuel Castro.
“We are here for her future,” said Giovanni Méndez, an asylum seeker, with a sense of urgency as he and his wife care for their 2-year-old daughter.
2024-01-19 02:34:56
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