The announcement of Mayor Eric Adams that it will scissor the resources of municipal agencies, which will see cuts of 5% in the coming months and, that it will have a strong impact that will be felt mostly by vulnerable communities, the maximum stay notices of 30 and 60 days in shelters for new migrants, who continue to arrive en masse in New York, and the fight that the president does not stop in the courts to avoid giving shelter to all the new arrivals, caused this Thursday, from different sectors to give a strong warning to the local president. Almost at the doors of the house where the mayor lives, protesters gathered to shout at him that if he does not change the route with which he is handling the current crisis, the Big Apple will plunge into great chaos that will affect thousands of families and the city in general.
And the message was not only vocal, it was also quite illustrative, since in sleeping bags and lying on the floor, piled up, dozens of new migrantsmostly from Africa, the Caribbean and South America, showed what New York City will become if the route is not reversed.
The famous building of Gracie Mansionlocated at East End Avenue and 86th Street, became the new stop where leaders of organizations immigrant advocates and vulnerable groups, and a hundred newcomers who fear being evicted from the shelters in which they currently live, raised their voices against the mayor, whom they asked to stop attacking the City’s right to housing policy and “scapegoating asylum seekers”“.
With tents installed in the famous place, located in an exclusive sector of the Big Apple, the new migrants recognized that there is a lack of help from the federal government to face the situation, but they warned that it is the Mayor’s responsibility to continue promoting protections for those who fled their homes. countries and reached the five counties in search of a better life. So far it is estimated that since last spring the Adams Administration, which initially opened its arms to migrants, has helped some 140,000 applicants asylum, of which 65,000 They are currently in shelters and emergency hotels in the City.
Murad Awawdehexecutive director of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) He assured that if the Municipal Administration continues along the path it is promoting at this moment, soon thousands of families will have no other option than to end up on the streets, increasing the panorama of homeless people living outdoors.
“New York’s historic Right to Housing policy has ensured that everyone who calls New York home is served with dignity and respect. “Mayor Adams should invest in our communities and strengthen our safety net instead of attacking a policy that has prevented New Yorkers from living on the streets due to the city’s affordability crisis,” said the immigrant advocate, insisting the need to promote programs of relocation to permanent homes.
“We have been proposing humane and economic solutions for our overloaded accommodation system for more than a year. Solutions like extending vouchers CityFHEPS to New Yorkersregardless of their immigration status and increase investments in legal services so that asylum seekers can move forward with their applications for legalization and work authorizations to embark on the path to self-sufficiency and independence have fallen on deaf ears in the Municipal Government,” added the activist. “When we support our historically homeless neighbors and new neighbors, we are investing in the economy, community and culture of our city, and in everyone who calls New York home.
Charles Moralesone of the protesters who brought his sleeping bag and stood at the entrance to the mansion where Mayor Adams lives, recalled that if immediate action is not taken, not only him but many other immigrants and low-income people in The Big Apple will end up sleeping in that part and other places in the City.
“We need shelter and housing solutions for everyone. We need support,” said the Latino.
Valeria Paz Reyeswho revealed that in the past she was undocumented, read the testimony of a Venezuelan family with three children, who arrived in New York several months ago and did not attend the demonstration for fear of reprisals from the local Administration.
“With my husband and my children we came to New York from Venezuela looking for a better future and we embarked on this because our country did not give us that, but here we have encountered many obstacles and we received a notification that we have 30 days to leave of the shelter, which worries us, especially because of the impact that this will have on our children, because at least one shelter offers us a safe roof,” said the new migrant, identified only as Ariana.
Councilor Shahana Hanifchairwoman of the City Council’s Immigration Committee, said that while thousands of newly arrived asylum seekers try to find a home in New York, Mayor Adams is doing everything in his power to create a hostile environment, which is why he He asked to change the direction of his actions.
“From undoing our right to shelter protections to serving eviction notices to asylum seekers, this mayor is demonstrating cruelty when this city needs to lead with compassion,” the politician said. “I am proud to stand in solidarity with so many advocates demanding that Mayor Adams protect our immigrant communities, no matter where they come from. “This is the time to expand social services and support programs for our newcomers, not cut them.”
Latina councilor Carmen de la Rosaassured that the solution to the growing housing crisis is not to cut the safety net of vulnerable communities, but to fund and support agencies equipped to move homeless populations into permanent and decent housing.
“Our right to housing law is not a burden to be litigated, but a source. It is a source of pride and a ray of hope for many,” said the municipal legislator. “It is cruel to debate whether or not humans deserve a place to stay, especially as we enter the winter season and face rising costs of living.“.
And in the midst of the tents and dozens of immigrants from Africa joining the same cries of the Latin newcomers, Amaha Kassa, Executive Director of African Communities Together said that especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner and the start of another winter, it is shameful that Mayor Adams is going to court to destroy the fundamental right to housing.
“Instead of putting immigrant families out on the streets after 60 days, the mayor should lead the way in finding solutions. Solutions such as vouchers, hotel and office conversions, and more state and federal funds,” the advocate said. “Otherwise, the sleeping bags and tents that are in front of Gracie Mansion today will be on every street in New York tomorrow.”
Mohamed Q. Amin, director of the organization Caribbean Equality Project, assured that for many Caribbean LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers, including people affected by HIV, New York’s right to housing policy is a life-saving resource, and demanded greater protections.
“Housing is a human right that New York City must provide regardless of immigration status and not dehumanize already vulnerable populations. “Many of the barriers faced by Caribbean people are rooted in ancestral trauma, liberation from post-colonization, LGBTQ-related phobias within religious institutions and Caribbean diaspora communities, lack of access to culture and culture,” the activist said.
Carolyn Tran, executive director of Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP), criticized the local president for his attempt to suspend the “right to housing law” of New York City, and said that this reflects not only his lack of care and compassion for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, but also his administration’s insufficient response to address the city’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.
“Removing migrant families from shelters after 60 days and asking permission to ignore the city’s long-standing “right to shelter” law will not fix an overburdened shelter system or prevent migrants from reaching New York. Implementing human solutions in collaboration with frontline advocates is where this administration should focus its attention and funding,” the protester stressed.
The Adams Administration defended its actions and he assures that even with his nails he has tried to help at the maximum level those looking for a new home in the Big Apple, but he warned that they have been hanging for months and there are not infinite resources to continue supporting those who arrive in the city, among them 2,800 migrants new ones that arrived last week and whose trend remains the same.
“More than 140,000 asylum seekers have passed through our intake system since spring 2022, all of whom have been offered vital care, including accommodation, food, access to healthcare, social care services, legal assistance and more. . But with With more than 65,600 migrants still in our care and thousands more continuing to arrive each week, we have utilized every corner of New York City possible and, simply, we have run out of good options to house migrants,” said a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office. “Unless those now criticizing New York City’s response have realistic alternatives to suggest, we ask that you join us in calling for meaningful help and a decompression strategy from our state and federal partners. As we have said repeatedly, one city can no longer manage a national crisis almost entirely on its own. “It’s not fair to asylum seekers and it’s not fair to lifelong New Yorkers.”
To date, New York City has already spent more than $2.7 billion in this crisis aloneand is expected to spend $5 billion by the end of this fiscal year and about $12 billion over the course of three fiscal years.
Facts about the newcomer crisis
- 139,500 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring
- 65,500 currently live in shelters under City assistance
- 2,800 new migrants arrived last week
- 30 and 60 days is the period that the City is giving to stay in the shelters
- City will cut 5% municipal agencies due to crisis
- The City has already spent $2.7 billion on this crisis
- $5,000 is expected to be the total expenditure by the end of this fiscal year
