NYC migrants share struggles in their own words | Migrants in America
NEW YORK CITY - NYC continues to grapple with a migrant crisis, as asylum seekers are making their way to the Big Apple in record numbers.
Stephanie Bertini's "Migrants in America" chronicles the daily struggles of these people, from a young family from Venezuela now calling Manhattan home, to others dealing with financial frustrations.
Here's a look at the reality of what's going on here in NYC and abroad, in the own words of the asylum seekers.
A family in the Row Hotel
A young family from Venezuela called the Row Hotel in Manhattan home. They were just one of many families who had done so since New York City established it as a designated shelter.
The family, who had lived in the hotel for months, was given a 60-day notice to vacate.
The notice came after the city announced it would be imposing restrictions including limits on shelter stays because of the immense number of asylum seekers and migrants making up what officials have called a crisis.
Selling arepas on the street
For Dennis Rico, it's arepas. The Venezuelan migrant walks the streets of Manhattan selling the authentic dish, making around $100 a day. Many of his customers are other migrants.
"I don't have legal documents," Rico said, explaining why he's selling food on the street.
Migrants selling food on NYC streets
New migrant arrivals in New York City are doing whatever they can to earn a living, despite not having working papers. FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini has the story of how one man is using the skills cooking food he learned in his home country to support his family.
Rico and his family lived in an emergency shelter established by the city, but he knew their time there would eventually run out.
"A migrant's life … is very hard," Rico said.
Rico and his family left Venezuela in search of a better life due to the poverty and political turmoil plaguing his home nation.
Financial struggles sink in
After crossing the southern border illegally, Gabriel Diaz, his wife and their son made their way to New York City.
"I knew people here that could help me," he said, referring to migrants who, like him, were seeking asylum in the United States.
As the reality of settling in America started to sink in, Diaz was dealing with financial frustrations.
"It’s hard because I don’t have the papers of permission to work," he said.
He and his family live in one of the hotels the city has set up as an emergency shelter during the crisis. He said he’s working under the table for cash, delivering food.
'We are struggling over here'
One migrant was found outside the Roosevelt Hotel, in the middle of the night, with his belongings on the sidewalk.
"The Roosevelt sent us to a shelter in Brooklyn. We stayed there for almost three months. They moved us in another shelter and made us sign a letter saying we would be kicked out in 60 days," he said.
The reality of the restrictions is difficult for someone in his shoes.
"I came to America, like everyone … an asylum seeker. The issues in my country … everything is terrible, "he said.
'I was in fear of losing my life in Africa'
Look no further than the sidewalk outside the ICE headquarters in Manhattan to see evidence of the current migrant crisis in the city.
Over several weeks, FOX 5 NY visited the area several times, each time, finding large crowds of people -- the vast majority of whom had recently entered the United States. They were seeking asylum and living in New York City.
"I was afraid of losing my life in Africa," one man said as he was waiting overnight.
He left the country of Guinea in West Africa, saying he was pushed out because of poverty, social unrest and danger in his country. Like many others do, he said he paid human smugglers and crossed the border illegally with their help.
A single mother of 4
One asylum seeker, a single mother of four, spoke to FOX 5 NY about her journey to the city and current troubles.
Like many who make the illegal journey into the United States, she was more comfortable living in the shadows because of her immigration status. But like every mother, she wanted the best for her children, and that was her motivation to leave her home country.
NYC migrant families face threat of homelessness
With New York City migrant shelters at full capacity, the situation is so dire that Mayor Eric Adams has said that migrants could end up on the streets. FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini spoke to a single mother of 4 who says she fears her family could end up homeless.
The woman said they escaped a nation in South America where people contend with poverty, potential oppression, and other dangers.
"The worry is we have to leave the hotel," the mother said.