NEW YORK – A second migrant has died by suicide in New York City’s reception system, law enforcement sources and sources in the city’s humanitarian community said Monday.
The 26-year-old man died in a Queens shelter on Wednesday last week, sources said. Relief sources familiar with the family’s situation indicated that the young man was here with a baby and the baby’s mother.
Police records indicate the man was found by his partner in the bathroom; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Others at the shelter believed he was from Venezuela, although his personal circumstances weren’t immediately clear.
Last week’s incident follows the mid-September death of another asylum seeker, a young woman with two children who took her own life at another Queens shelter.
The latest death comes during the city’s ongoing shelter crisis. Until last Thursday there were about 65,000 people in shelters in the city, 42% more than in the same period of the previous year.
The city attributes the increase to the influx of immigrants from border states sent here by governors of those states; Homeless advocates say the situation is more complex and includes the impact of rising evictions and pressure on social services.
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
The federal government is sending asylum seekers to New York City in hopes of a better life, but the system has left many stranded and stranded.
The news also comes as the city council opened a two-day hearing on the city government’s response to the crisis. Unlike September’s death, the city has not made any announcements of the latter case.
City Council was expected to respond to the report by Monday.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, there are resources for getting help. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24 hours a day with resources in Spanish at 1-800-273-8255 and offers services including live chat on its website. Click here for more detailed information: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/en-espanol/
