One woman, speaking through an interpreter, voiced out her complaint to the NYC Council's Committees on Immigration and Hospitals that her children "cannot eat the food at the shelter." She also complained that during Ramadan – a period where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset – "we couldn't eat because when you come back from the breaks, the food is no good at all."
"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," the woman added. She also complained that her older child, who was around 18 or 19 years, doesn't have schooling in the Big Apple.
The council's April 16 morning meeting featured a segment titled "The Experiences of Black Migrants in NYC." It was convened to allow council members to learn more about the experiences Black illegals have been going through. One person even remarked that illegals from Africa "have reported verbal and physical abuse due to the color of their skin."
But NYC Councilmember Vickie Paladindo, who believes the Big Apple is already giving migrants too much, had none of it. "This is absolute, absolute insanity at its finest," the Republican councilwoman remarked. "How much more are we going to do for the illegal migrants that are coming into the city?"
While the meeting was going on, hundreds of Black migrants – many of them from African countries – showed up at City Hall demanding better treatment in the form of a job and basic shelter. The rally was an attempt to get the attention of state and federal lawmakers, according to the migrants and their advocates.
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"They are here to show you that they belong, that they are here and that they should not be erased," said Patrice Lawrence, executive director of the UndocuBlack Network. "Please listen to them."
The rally participants told CBS News of their hopes that changes could be made to immigration laws and they could help contribute to the economy. Federal immigration laws are either slowing down the process for the migrants to get work permits. These same laws would also make them ineligible to receive such permits, depending on their country of origin. (Related: REPLACEMENTS: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to issue work permits for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.)
"When they give us work permits, we can work and take care of ourselves," one rally participant said.
Mohammed Bah, a migrant from the West African nation of Guinea, came to the U.S. five months ago ready to work. But his search of a job has been unfruitful so far. "Anywhere you go to find a job, they ask for working papers," he lamented.
In response to the issue, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has tried to expedite the process – but to no avail.
"We need real immigration reform. Something is just not right and we need to fix it," said NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Manuel Castro, NYC commissioner for immigrant affairs, agreed with the mayor's remarks: "It's clear our immigration system is broken and needs overhauling."
Head over to Migrants.news for more similar stories.
Watch Savanah Hernandez reporting on the April 16 NYC Council meeting, which saw the African migrant complain about the free food and shelter provided by the city.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
New York City to spend $4.7 BILLION this fiscal year dealing with illegal immigrants.
There are now more illegal immigrants than homeless people housed in New York City’s shelters.
New York City natives are FLEEING due to illegal immigration and surging crime.
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