NY officials urge quicker process to clear asylum seekers for work
QUEENS, N.Y. - Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams want the Biden administration to expedite the process for legal asylum seekers to get their working papers.
They say it’s an economic opportunity in a time of a historic labor shortage.
The founder of the Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer, says he is on board and is committed to helping asylum seekers get their working rights.
He says the hospitality industry is desperate for workers and simply hasn’t been able to fill restaurant vacancies, especially since the pandemic.
In a press conference Monday he said, "We don’t have enough workers. The hospitality industry is the largest single employer outside the government. We have a solution."
Right now, asylum seekers must wait 180 days after applying for legal asylum status.
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Governor Hochul says people are waiting in limbo, not able to work.
Some people we spoke to, staying at a shelter in Queens, say they’re waiting for their next steps and in the meantime are getting situated in this new environment.
One woman with a three-month-old baby said they crossed through five countries and a jungle to get here.
Mayor Adams meanwhile says expediting the working paper process is also a humanitarian issue.