Espaillat, Ocasio-Cortez Urge DHS Action to Provide Asylum Seekers Accurate Information, Resources When Bussed to New York City
MEMBERS ADDRESS MISCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN DHS, CITY AGENCIES, SOCIAL SERVICES PROVIDERS, LEGAL SERVICES, AND ASYLUM SEEKERS
NEW YORK, NY – Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the agency to prioritize ensuring asylum seekers that arrive to New York City are provided accurate resources and informational upon their arrival.
Key excerpt from the letter:
"According to recent reporting, asylum seekers being loaded onto buses from Arizona and Texas are dealt official Department of Homeland Security documentation directing them to social services organizations, rather than New York City’s Department of Homeless Services Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center located at 151 East 151st Street in the Bronx. Alarmingly, many instances reflect that the addresses to social services organizations on the documents asylum seekers receive are inaccurate, misleading them and in some cases, putting that at risk of removal due to missing an important court date." the members state.
"When asylum seekers arrive, they are left stranded, unaware of the resources and locations of the city’s intake centers," the members continue.
Further adding, "it is imperative that your agency work with municipalities who are receiving bussed asylum seekers and guarantee that addresses you are directing them to are accurate. Doing so will avoid ensure that migrants, many of whom are families with children, receive lifesaving resources in a timely manner. Coordination between federal, state, and local partners is critical to affirm safe housing and access to appropriate social and legal services for asylum seekers," the members conclude.
New York City has continued to help asylum seekers but requires increased funding for programs that have effectively aided those exercising their legal right to seek asylum in the United States.
New York City is proud to meet its moral obligation in providing humanitarian assistance to those in need, but recent upticks including approximately 4,000 asylum seekers – the majority in families with children means that more funding is necessary with thousands more expected to arrive in the coming months.