New Yorkers Welcome Migrants: What’s it Take to Make Sanctuary Real?

In 1989, New York City declared itself a sanctuary city — a place where undocumented immigrants seeking asylum are safe from immediate deportation and eligible to receive city services. But living up to that promise is tougher than just passing a law. This year, New York City has received over 100,000 asylum seekers so far, including 15,000 unaccompanied minors. Most are from Latin America, where they face extortion from gangs, robbery, rape and LGBTQ+ persecution. The journey to the U.S. is deadly, but so is life back home. They set out by bus, train, and on foot through forests and the Rio Grande, often with babies and toddlers, to come to the U.S. In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show, produced in collaboration with the School of Labor and Urban Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY), hear the harrowing journeys and hopes of refugees coming to New York City — and the issues they face soon after they arrive — including trouble finding work, shelter, foster care placement, and legal battles. New York City is conflicted about their arrival, politicians say there are too many migrants, and far-Right extremists create a hostile and oftentimes dangerous environment. Stepping in is a growing network of volunteers and nonprofits comprised of social workers and lawyers on the ground and in the courts, who are working to give asylum seekers a welcome, shelter, and legal protection. New York City as we know it would cease to exist without migrants. Here are their stories.

[Translated from Spanish] “A lot of the gay people in Guatemala or Central America, they get murdered. They either get killed or they hide their homosexuality by pretending to be someone else. If they do that, they don’t get hurt, but if they dress like women, or if they present in a feminine way, they get attacked.” - Eswin

“We work with young people who have been raped, who have been tortured, who have been kidnapped — many times on the way from their country to the United States — who’ve been abandoned, who’ve been starved. They are coming with the continued desire to thrive in this country despite the trauma that they’ve endured.” - Angela Fernández

“Unaccompanied minors and immigrant children who are working are particularly vulnerable . . . They don’t speak the language, they may not know their rights. They may not know what kinds of agencies to go to or where they can get help.” - Terri Gerstein

“The people that we’re getting are all working-class families. They’re decent people . . . We should welcome everybody. We need the help.” - Father James Kelly

“The first thing that [migrants] ask is not water, food, it’s where can I find work. They don’t want handouts. They want to be able to provide for themselves.” - Power Malu

[Translated from Spanish] “. . . [Organized crime] began extorting people . . . Where I used to live, they killed a 13-year-old boy and a couple. I left my town of Tulcán. From there to Colombia. And from Colombia, we went through the jungle.” - Lady Mansilla

“It’s the volunteers that are on the ground receiving people in a respectful and human-centered way, and then they’re coordinating access to services for them on a case-by-case basis.” - Jamie Powlovich

“Going to foster care is an option that’s deemed better for a child because they have the opportunity to live a life that’s almost normal because you can go to school, you can have friends, you can go out, which they cannot do in detention. There aren’t enough spots in foster care for immigrant children right now.” - Marie-Cassandre Wavre

Guests:

Eswin: Asylum Seeker, Ecuador

Angela Fernández: Executive Director, Safe Passage Project

Terri Gerstein: Harvard Center for Labor & A Just Economy

Father James Kelly: Immigration Attorney, District 3 Immigration Services

Power Malu: Founder,  Artists Athletes Activists

Lady Mansilla: Asylum Seeker, Ecuador

Jamie Powlovich: Executive Director, Coalition for Homeless Youth

Marie-Cassandre Wavre: Supervising Attorney, The Door

Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.

Music In the Middle:  “Borikén Keys” by Nickodemus featuring MC Baby Power, aka Power Malu, featured in today’s episode. And additional music included- "Steppin," "Beachhead," and "Ocean Point" by Podington Bear.

Newsreel featured clips from MSNBC, NBC Nightly News and PBS News Hour

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