[“The buses are not letting up. They are coming with more vigor.
Initially it was a bus or two, then it rose to three, and now NYC
receives six or nine buses a day coming directly from Texas.”]
[[link removed]]

WELCOMING THE STRANGER: AN INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK IMMIGRATION
COALITION’S MURAD AWAWDEH  
[[link removed]]


 

Renée Feltz
October 5, 2022
Indypendent
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ “The buses are not letting up. They are coming with more vigor.
Initially it was a bus or two, then it rose to three, and now NYC
receives six or nine buses a day coming directly from Texas.” _

,

 

As thousand of migrant asylum seekers arrive on buses in New York City
from the U.S. southern border -- many sent without their consent by
Republican governors in Texas and Florida who are playing politics
with people's lives -- community activists have led efforts to welcome
them with dignity and to push city, state and local officials to
mobilize more than the minimal resources offered so far.  Yesterday,
the City announced it was relocating a sprawling relief center it has
assembled in an Orchard Beach parking lot to Randall's Island and The
New York Post ran a headline about a Hells Kitchen public school
"overwhelmed with 100 migrant kids."  Meanwhile, the buses keep
coming.  The Indypendent spoke to Murad Awawdh, who grew up in Sunset
Park as the son of Palestinian immigrants and is now executive
director on the New York Immigration Coalition, about the ongoing work
to welcome the new arrivals and how this fits in with their long-term
goals.

_THE INDYPENDENT: HOW HAS THE NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION BEEN
INVOLVED IN GREETING MIGRANTS, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES ARRIVING ON
BUSES AT PORT AUTHORITY AND ESTABLISHING THE “WELCOMING NEW YORK”
CAMPAIGN?  _

Murad Awawdeh: First and foremost, I want to give a huge shout out to
folks on the ground who are doing the work day in, day out, not just
at Port Authority Bus Terminal but also with many other buses coming
to New York City. The ones coming to Port Authority are mostly coming
directly from Texas but there are others coming from Washington, D.C.
and other areas. I give a huge shout out to Artists, Athletes and
Activists led by Power Malu, Team TLC NYC led by Ilze Thielmann,
Adama Bah, and all the amazing volunteers who are doing this work
sometimes 18-20 hours a day. I want to make sure they get the praise
they deserve

The New York Immigration Coalition started to engage with people from
the Southern border back in the spring when folks just started
arriving at our office because authorities said this is where they
should go for shelter and services. We quickly realized immigration
officials who were processing folks were actually listing the New
York Immigration Coalition as the home address of individuals coming
or being sent to New York. So once we started to connect the dots, we
said: “There is something off here.” There were conversations with
other organizations who said they’d been receiving significantly
more than us. 

Then we had a meeting with the City and said we think a lot more folks
are going to be coming here and that the city should expand emergency
shelter immediately to support additional folks who are coming in, as
well as create a welcome center and fund expanded emergency legal
services and support organizations on the ground who are going to need
to support folks who are coming in. As you know, New York City and New
York State have welcomed immigrants for centuries, from Europeans to
African and Asians folks, to those from the Middle East and across the
world. We want to be sure to continue to uplift our welcoming
reputation, and the work we’ve historically done.

Shortly thereafter, buses started coming directly from Texas. We
welcomed dozens of buses from the Southern border at Port Authority,
and provided them with dignity and care packages. So, the work is
ever-continuing. We’ve launched a Welcoming New York Campaign to
demand perhaps the most outlandish thing we could have ever asked for:
a cross government , coordinated response. We want the federal, state
and local government to be working together to ensure all migrants and
asylum seekers coming in are welcomed with dignity and respect.  

_MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ANNOUNCED, VIA PRESS RELEASE, THAT THE CITY PLANS TO
OPEN WHAT HE CALLED “HUMANITARIAN RELIEF CENTERS” AS WELL AS ITS
SHELTER SYSTEM TO HOUSE ARRIVING MIGRANT ASYLUM SEEKERS. CITY
COUNCILMEMBER ALEXA AVILÉS VISITED MIGRANTS AT A SHELTER IN HER
DISTRICT AND TOLD _THE INDY_: “WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.” YOUR
TAKE?_

The only relief center announced so far [at the time of this
interview] is the Orchard Beach parking lot relief center. We flagged
our concerns when the announcement was made, since no one asked us
beforehand what we thought about it. This does not seem tenable and
has the potential to create more harm than good in this moment.
Orchard Beach is incredibly far from mass transit. It is also a flood
zone that was recently flooded! 

We want to make sure people have access to support and services, but
saying people will be there for 24-96 hours is a little concerning.
The initial intent was for it to be temporary, but if it becomes
permanent de fcto shelter, this would be against our Right to Shelter
Law in New York City.

We’ve asked what these relief centers will do, how they will operate
and for a chance to give feedback that is taken into account. We are
asking the City for a short, medium and long-term plan. The buses are
not letting up. They are coming with more vigor. Initially it was a
bus or two, then it rose to three, and now NYC receives six or nine
buses a day coming directly from Texas. This does not include others
making their journey on their own. So we are seeing an increased
amount of folks coming up here and we have not really addressed how we
are going to ensure folks are given dignified shelter.

_IN ADDITION TO SHELTER, MOST MIGRANT ASYLUM SEEKERS NEED HELP
NAVIGATING THEIR CASES. HOW COULD THE ACCESS TO REPRESENTATION ACT
ENSURE THEY GET LEGAL ASSISTANCE? _

Regardless of immigration status, everyone should have counsel, and a
right to counsel, when they are going through immigration proceedings.
The Access to Representation Act was introduced by New York
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz and State Senator Brad Hoylman and grew
out of work by the New York Immigration Coalition, the Vera Institute
and the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative. lt would literally
ensure that whoever needs an immigration attorney receives one, and
contribute to the long-term solution of building out access to
lawyers.

_HOW HAVE MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION BEEN IMPACTED
BY WELCOMING THE CITY’S NEWEST ARRIVALS, AND WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON
NEXT?_

Membership in the NYIC includes over 200 organizations across New York
state, and for the past three years we have been focused on many
things: fighting for immigration legalization at the federal level and
also expanding rights and services at the state and local level; for
the expansion of rights and services for our communities here in New
York City, and also combatting Covid-19 and making sure our community
has access to Personal Protective Equipment like masks, and is able to
get vaccines. Folks had really stretched their capacity in recent
years because the need has been so great. Now, again we are stretching
our capacity. So we really need New York City and the state to step up
and provide resources to support these organizations so they are able
to continue doing the amazing work they are doing with service
delivery as well as being providers across the board.

_For more, see Nyic.org, Artists-Athletes-Activists.org and
TTLCNYC.org._

_PLEASE SUPPORT YOUNG REPORTERS TODAY! WITH 22 YEARS OF INSPIRING
JOURNALISTS TO WRITE ABOUT THE TOPICS THAT THEY FEEL MOST CONNECTED
TO, THE INDYPENDENT IS STILL STANDING
[[link removed]] BUT
IT’S NOT EASY. MAKE A RECURRING OR ONE-TIME DONATION
[[link removed]] TODAY OR SUBSCRIBE
[[link removed]] TO OUR MONTHLY PRINT EDITION AND
GET EVERY COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME. _

* Immigrants
[[link removed]]
* immigrant rights
[[link removed]]
* New York City
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]