A “sanctuary” city, New York has an obligation – under local law – to provide temporary accommodation to those who request it. They are more than 40,000 currently in this situation and the number continues to climb.
10 p.m., Monday, May 29, 2023, at Port Authority station in New York: it’s the end of an interminable bus journey from Texas for around thirty people. Power Malu from an association helping migrants awaits them and has something for everyone. “They are deeply worried so when they get off the bus I pick up the kids, I smile at everyone to dissipate those bad vibes and give them a glimmer of hopehe explains. But I’m not lying to them, and I tell them that this journey will be difficult.”
>> Immigration: the United States will deploy 1,500 additional soldiers to its border with Mexico
An obstacle course that begins Diego, a Venezuelan housed in a police complex converted into a refuge. The return to reality is brutal for this bachelor who hopes to one day work in construction: “You need money because I can’t look for work dressed like that in shortshe observes. I have to be presentable with pants or jeans, a shirt…”
“People think that all you have to do is get to the United States to find work. But no.”
Diego, a Venezuelan migrantat franceinfo
To find a job, “It’s everyone’s dreamcontinues Diego, because in Venezuela there are no opportunities”. With luck, he may cross paths with Ilze Thielmann who is here taking stock of his “little shop”t-shirts, shirts, underwear, which she donates to migrants, while calling on the federal government to act. “People will keep coming, over and over again. It’s not New York’s problem, it’s America’s problem, the world’s even! she believes. We are delighted to have this small solidarity shop and to help these people with their daily needs, but it will not solve all their problems”.
“I could have a university degree”
Among its volunteers, it counts the very young Pedro, who also arrived from Venezuela last summer. His English is very good. All he has to do is get some papers. “And then, I don’t know. I could have a college degree, he begins to dream. I really want to stay here. I would like to have the chance to give back what this country gives me because I am very grateful to be here in safety”.
Faced with this wave of migration, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, reported on his administration’s difficulties in finding emergency accommodation sites and asked for help from federal authorities and the government. Various hosting options were considered, including municipal buildings, vacant offices, and even Rikers Island, the city’s notorious jail, as well as 20 public school gymnasiums to be used as emergency sites.
2023-05-30 11:18:09
#United #States #border #Mexico #York #faces #influx #migrants
