New Rosanna Scotto doc explores underground economy fueled by NYC's migrant crisis
NEW YORK - A darker, secluded foil to the bustling streets of Manhattan hosts an abundance of migrants — bringing with it an underground economy that operates just out of plain sight.
It's the subject of "The Underground Economy," a Fox Nation special hosted by Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto, who takes to the streets of the city that never sleeps to explore the complex web of illicit trade, dangerous gangs and more.
"As millions of migrants flood across the border, a black market rises up in our cities, and it's right under our nose and no one knows about it," Scotto said, narrating the special.
Daniel DiMartino (left) and Rosanna Scotto (center) question a migrant who said she is paid in cash for work. (Fox Nation)
But, as she also points out, what these migrants do to get money largely depends on where they come from.
"Immigrants tend to specialize by nationality on different occupations," explained Manhattan Institute graduate fellow Daniel DiMartino, who studies the economics of immigration in the Big Apple.
"Venezuelans are very much going into food delivery. They become Uber Eats drivers and delivery workers, GrubHub, all of these apps," he elaborated.
But when jobs require an ID, things can get tricky.
DiMartino explained that many migrants will rent another person's Uber Eats account as well as rent bikes to deliver food, and many people neither notice nor care that the person delivering their food is not identical to the person listed on the app.
There are other ways of making money as well. DiMartino and Scotto took to the streets where they speak to a migrant who is being paid in cash for cleaning houses while her husband gets paid in cash for working at a grocery store.
"They have to be entrepreneurial because they can't really find regular job opportunities," DiMartino explained.
With appearances from expert voices like DiMartino, NYPD chief John Chell, and independent journalist Leeroy Johnson, the nature of this "underground economy" becomes more lucid.
To DiMartino, who also immigrated to the U.S., immigration is one of America's strengths and welcoming those who are ambitious and eager to start a new life full of opportunity is an asset.
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"We need more hardworking immigrants with the right skills," he said. "Unfortunately, that's not what's happening today… New York City has stopped being a magnet for jobs and has become a magnet for welfare."
With journalist Leeroy Johnson at her side, Scotto also took to the streets of one of Manhattan's most bustling areas – the theater district, where, close by, the Row Hotel teems with migrants.
"This area is a busy area. This is the crossroads of the world," Scotto said.
But the Row isn't the only New York City hotel reserved for migrants.
According to Johnson, who has been covering the Big Apple's migrant crisis since the first bus arrived in the city, there are several in the area.
The iconic Roosevelt Hotel, the subject of another Scotto-hosted Fox Nation special, "The Sanctuary Trap," released earlier this year, is another example — even being coined the "new Ellis Island" as it transitioned into a migrant processing hub.
To watch episodes of "The Underground Economy," sign up for Fox Nation and begin streaming.