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France 24 takes an X-ray of the situation in New York, which is now facing one of the worst humanitarian crises. Since last April, the Big Apple has received more than 20,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived by bus from Republican states such as Texas or Arizona. Most are Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis in their country.
Thousands of migrants are today at the center of a political battle. Democrats and Republicans use different narratives around migration to win votes in these midterm elections. Faced with the arrival of dozens of migrants, New York’s shelters are saturated and the city’s mayor, Eric Adams, had to declare a state of emergency in order to have federal funds and deal with this humanitarian crisis.
“Giving them shelter is a legal obligation, we have to do it by law,” explains the spokeswoman for the New York City Council’s office of immigration affairs, Shania Coronel. She is referring to the law passed in 1979. It was born out of a class action lawsuit in the Supreme Court against the city and state of New York, called Callahan v. Tortoiseshell, which pointed to the existence of a constitutional right to housing in New York.
All in response to the homelessness the city was facing in the late 1970s. “It’s also a moral obligation,” adds Shaina. Two commitments that give an open letter to the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, to continue sending immigrants to this Democratic state.
The challenge for newcomers doesn’t end when they set foot on New York soil. Many arrive empty-handed, like Jenny Arsia, a Venezuelan who entered the United States through the border between Mexico and this country. The New York authorities have given her and her family food, shelter and clothing, but this help is temporary.
“What I want is for my husband and I to be able to work to support ourselves,” she confesses.
A wish that is not at all easy to achieve: in order to apply for your employment authorization, 150 days must pass since the request for asylum was submitted. Until then they depend on donations.
Even getting a city ID is not easy. “Once again they tell me the same thing at the city offices, that first I have to call and ask for an appointment. But I don’t have a telephone or money to pay the cards!” Arsia illustrates the impasse where regularizing her situation is an impossible mission.
It is precisely the same thing that the Democrats are after: to obtain legal status for those who entered this country without documents. And they also encounter many obstacles that are difficult to overcome. On the opposite side, Republicans want to deport them and secure the border. They put pressure on Democratic states by sending them migrants on buses like Nadis Arzuaga and Alexandra López who have just arrived in the city.
“It’s difficult because you don’t know what awaits you,” they confess to France 24, adding: “You don’t know what you’re going to do and you’re always in fear and the feeling of what’s going to happen to you.”
At least today they will be able to get a coat to prepare for the arrival of the cold. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, in the heart of Manhattan, is handing out donations and food to these newcomers.
New York is a sanctuary city and is helping newcomers find a better life. It is the only large city in the country required by law to give refuge to those who request it. But the pressure is increasing and the authorities do not know how long they will be able to resist.
