Current:Home > reviewsHundreds of African immigrants in New York City rally for more protections -TradeGrid
Hundreds of African immigrants in New York City rally for more protections
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:07:26
Several hundred African immigrants rallied in New York City Tuesday to urge for more protections and access to city services as advocates point to unique challenges they face upon arrival.
“Over the past two years, Black immigrant newcomers have faced especially stark barriers in accessing city services,” Alexa Avilés, chair of the city council’s immigration committee, said at a public hearing.
The community of newcomers voiced their grievances to city officials Tuesday, including inadequate access to legal services and work permits, shelter issues and language barriers, at a hearing held by New York City Council’s immigration and hospital committees. Hundreds of people also gathered outside of City Hall to demand equitable access to city services.
Council spokesperson Rendy Desamours told USA TODAY the city started to notice a shift in 2023 in where immigrants were coming from, after a period where most of the immigrants hailed from Latin America.
New York Immigration Coalition president Murad Awawdeh told USA TODAY that African immigrants were hoping to see three changes: reversal of shelter limits imposed on immigrants, more investment in immigrant legal services and in language access.
“We strongly urge the mayor and the city of New York to really ensure that we’re making the critical investments that are going to pay back the city a thousand times over with driving the local economy and ensuring that people are continuing to make New York City what New York is – the global mecca of the world,” Awawdeh said.
Shelter limits disproportionately affected African immigrants
Last year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams began imposing shelter limits on immigrants – 30 days for single people and 60 days for migrant families.
Nonprofit news outlet New York Focus in February found that notices to vacate shelters were disproportionately served to migrants from Mauritania and Senegal. Out of 14,000 notices, people from the two African countries received 44 and 32 percent of notices, respectively. However, immigrants from the African countries accounted for fewer migrants in city shelters than those from Venezuela, Ecuador or Colombia.
African migrants also face unique barriers to accessing city services because translators are not readily available for the languages that they speak, such as Wolof and Fulani, Desamours said. And those coming from countries that the U.S. has not granted temporary protected status to – which protects people from deportation and grants them a pathway to work permits – are especially in need of legal services to get jobs.
Over 760,000 Black immigrants live in New York state, Avilés said at the hearing Tuesday, comprising nearly 4% of the state’s population.
New York mayor calls for federal support
New York mayor spokesperson Amaris Cockfield told USA TODAY on Tuesday the city has provided shelter to over 190,000 people since the spring of 2022, including several who hailed from African countries. She noted that New York has also accommodated specific needs such as offering halal food and prayer spaces for Muslims, as well as immigration and language services.
“We are exceptionally proud of the dignity and respect we’ve been able to provide these migrants, as well as everyone else in our care, but, make no mistake, New York City should have never been left largely on its own to manage this national humanitarian crisis,” Cockfield said. “As we have said repeatedly, the federal government needs to finish the job they started by providing an immediate pathway to work for the tens of thousands of migrants they let into this country.”
veryGood! (6544)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Washington state declares drought emergencies in a dozen counties
- Biden reassures bank customers and says the failed firms' leaders are fired
- How the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank affected one startup
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Janet Yellen says the federal government won't bail out Silicon Valley Bank
- The truth is there's little the government can do about lies on cable
- New drugs. Cheaper drugs. Why not both?
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Fires Fuel New Risks to California Farmworkers
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- 2 teens found fatally shot at a home in central Washington state
- Las Vegas police search home in connection to Tupac Shakur murder
- Pregnant Jana Kramer Reveals Sex of Her and Allan Russell's Baby
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- T-Mobile buys Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile in a $1.35 billion deal
- Boy, 7, killed by toddler driving golf cart in Florida, police say
- Janet Yellen says the federal government won't bail out Silicon Valley Bank
Recommendation
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Save 44% on the It Cosmetics Waterproof, Blendable, Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks
Silicon Valley Bank's collapse and rescue
The truth is there's little the government can do about lies on cable
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Judge rejects Trump's demand for retrial of E. Jean Carroll case
A Legacy of the New Deal, Electric Cooperatives Struggle to Democratize and Make a Green Transition
To Stop Line 3 Across Minnesota, an Indigenous Tribe Is Asserting the Legal Rights of Wild Rice