Several illegal migrants spoke at a New York City Council meeting this week to complain that the city’s free services provided to them are not acceptable.
The City Council held a meeting on Tuesday specifically to hear about the experiences of black migrants in the city. There, migrants and their advocates accused the city of treating them unfairly.
“My kids cannot eat the food at the shelter,” one mother said at the hearing, speaking through a translator. “And on Ramadan time we couldn’t eat because when you come back on the break the food is no good at all.”
“This is shameful time for NYC. IT IS ANTI-AFRICAN AND XENOPHOBIC!”
Another migrant complains about the free accommodations provided to black illegal immigrants in NYC: pic.twitter.com/OVNlvBCFGf
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 17, 2024
“And they give us two months to stay at the shelter and then you have to go out again with your luggage and your kids and find another place. It’s very difficult,” she added.
She added that she has children over 18 who have never had any schooling.
“So please help us,” she said.
Migrants also pushed for a speedier process to work authorization.
“Anywhere you go to find a job, they ask for working papers,” said Mohammed Bah, who came from Guinea five months ago.
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Corinne Obongo Golden, a member of the group Africa is Everywhere, became heated at the hearing, telling councilmembers, “This is unacceptable. This is shameful time in New York history. This city is not friendly for all people. It is anti-African and xenophobic.”
“Africans deserve dignity and respect. We are not animals,” she continued. “I’m so upset … I want all my fellow Africans to know what it is that they will face if they come to New York City.”
“We have issues with housing. We don’t have work. A lot of us weren’t able to apply for asylum yet, because we don’t have the means to pay the lawyers,” one migrant said, speaking through an interpreter.
Several local lawmakers showed up at the rally as well and echoed the calls from migrants for better services.
“Our color should not determine what service we get in New York City, because when every once else comes they get the services,” said Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, who is Haitian American and a Democrat representing Brooklyn.
New York has seen an influx of more than 180,000 illegal migrants over the past two years creating a crisis that has strained the city’s budget and caused officials to plead for federal help. As of last month, the top African countries from which migrants come to New York City and end up in the city’s care are Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania.
