Migrants sleep in the streets under the intense cold of New York

Migrants who arrived in the Big Apple with the hope of changing their lives have come across temperatures below zero which, in addition to limiting their opportunities, have made them sick.

Thus he assured the voice of america a group of migrants waiting for an available room, outside the Watson Hotel, now converted into a refuge, as they point out that they were assigned a refuge that was too dangerous, where one of their companions was attacked with a knife.

Despite having been away from the hotel for several nights, they say they have had no luck.

The Venezuelan Junior Acevedo affirms that they have already been out of the hotel for four days, even suffering from pain.

“Yesterday a lady took me to her house and gave me a massage because in fact my leg hurt too much” because of the cold, the migrant said.

Many of the hostels in the city have reached their capacity and others have become dangerous, according to these migrants.

Gerard, for example, couldn’t stand the cold and ended up in the hospital. “I had to stay there until early in the morning, because well, waiting here to see if they give us accommodation,” he said. Colombian migrant.

On the other hand, defenders of migrants point out that people are getting sick from the cold and that more than half have some illness due to the weather.

Beginnings of hypothermia, influenza, COVID-19 and flu are among others the diseases that they are suffering from and it is difficult for them to access medical care and medicines.

Junior Acevedo, a Venezuelan migrant, assures that he has suffered from fever, flu, and does not have the means to buy any medicine. For this reason, he assures that he has sought refuge in the trains.

“Very cold, very much too much, we have been like this on the street for almost a week, like this on the train, we go to the train to sleep, come on, we come like this,” says Luis, a Venezuelan migrant.

The mayor of New York City has said that he provides shelter anyone that requests it and has contracted the services of at least 60 hotels to support the municipal shelters that are already full. New York State is required by law to comply with this rule.

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