The surge in immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border has also flowed into New York City and may now be affecting Buffalo as well.
Hundreds of immigrants arrive in New York City every day, and Governor Hochul is looking elsewhere in the state for places to accommodate some of them. She hasn’t announced the location yet, but she said when she visited Buffalo last week, she was considering all options, including a dorm on the college campus.
Rep. Nicholas Langworthy spoke on immigration on Monday, May 22, 2023, calling for spending cuts amid debt ceiling negotiations.
Let’s take a look at what’s behind the sudden influx of immigrants.
What is Title 42 and what happened after that?
Title 42 is the name of the emergency health authority set up by the Trump administration in March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to the Associated Press, this allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
Others are reading…
Immigrants enter the United States nearly 3,000 miles away, but issues related to their influx are looming large in front of politicians and groups across New York.
Before the pandemic, immigrants could enter the country illegally, apply for asylum, and be allowed into the United States. They are then often tested and released to await immigration checks, which can take years.
Under Article 42, migrants were deported across the border and denied the right to seek asylum. U.S. authorities have used authorities to turn immigrants back more than 2.8 million times. Families and children traveling alone were exempt.
Title 42 was lifted after the federal government announced the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency at the end of May 11.
What are the new rules for border crossers?
Anyone coming to the United States can apply for asylum. They are tested to determine if they have a credible fear of persecution in their homeland. Their case will then go to immigration court to determine whether they can stay in the United States, The Associated Press reports.
The US has announced that it will accept up to 30,000 people a month from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba only if they come by air, are sponsored and apply online. The government will also allow up to 100,000 Guatemalans, El Salvadores and Hondurans with family members from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to enter the United States if they apply online. If not, border officials plan to deport 30,000 people across the border to Mexico every month, including those from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba, according to the Associated Press.
Other immigrants may also be admitted if they apply through the CBP One app. Currently, 740 people are allowed to use the app per day, with plans to increase to 1,000 per day, the Associated Press reported.
Why do so many asylum seekers end up in New York City?
More than 70,000 immigrants have arrived in New York City since the surge began, according to The New York Times, and the city has already lost about $1 billion. New York City officials say costs could rise to as much as $4.3 billion.
Immigrants come to New York in many ways. Some use bus tickets purchased by immigrants themselves or by non-profit organizations, some use buses chartered by other cities, and some use planes.
New York City is scrambling to find shelter for them in public school gymnasiums, hotels and giant tents on Randall Island, The Times reported.
What is the impact on Buffalo?
It is quite possible that some New York City immigrants and asylum seekers end up in Buffalo. During a visit to Buffalo last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was considering options including using a New York University campus as a potential site to house the ongoing surge.
Buffalo already had an influx of immigrants before the lifting of Title 42. Regional authorities have also been negotiating with immigrants who wanted to enter Canada, but were unable to do so after the United States and Canada agreed to a new policy in March.
Buffalo has a long history of welcoming immigrants because of its proximity to the Canadian border.
Buffalo’s population grew for the first time in 70 years, driven primarily by immigrants and resettled refugees arriving in the city, according to 2021 census data.
Buffalo institutions such as the International Institute, Jewish Family Services, Journey’s End, and the Jericho Road Community Health Center, which operates the asylum seeker shelter Vibe, are here to assist refugees and new immigrants. there is
Last week, leaders in seven western New York counties announced they were trying to stop New York City from pumping immigrants into hotels in the area. Erie County Commissioner Mark Polonkers said such emergency orders would be illegal and “morally rebellious” under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and said he would not seek any emergency orders.
Are immigrants allowed to work?
Under current immigration law, immigrants seeking asylum are prohibited from working for the first six months after submitting their documents. On Monday, Ho-chol and New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference to urge the federal government to expedite the issuance of work permits for asylum seekers. Ho-chol also called for more immigration judges to deal with the surge in New York-based cases.
The New York Department of Agriculture said it supports immigrants who “want to be treated properly and work on New York state farms”, while saying the move “is a temporary band-aid to a larger problem that must be solved.” Stated. Resolved in Washington, D.C.”
