New York, NY—Today, Mayor Adams called on the Biden administration to expedite work authorizations and extend humanitarian parole to asylum seekers, who are currently facing massive delays and backlogs in moving forward their cases at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as well as challenges finding attorneys to navigate our complex legal system. The Administration also called on the federal government to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela and extend TPS to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Sudan, South Sudan and Cameroon.
Theodoore Moore, VP of Policy & Programs, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Finding work is a basic and essential first step to allowing people to build independent lives for themselves and their families. Without the ability to move forward with their legal cases and gain much needed work authorizations, our newest arrivals are forced to live in desperate circumstances that often leads them to work in an unregulated economy open to abuse and wage theft. The NYIC joins Mayor Adams’ call for the Biden administration to facilitate better, faster implementation for work authorizations through the USCIS, and to redesignate TPS for Venezuela and extend TPS status to more countries. But the Adams administration must also support the integration of asylum seekers by investing $10 million in emergency legal services, while the State must pass the Access to Representation Act to ensure our newest New Yorkers are able to access the legal support they need to navigate their asylum claims, the first step in obtaining work authorization. The Federal, State and City governments must work together to support the needs of our newest arrivals and the economic health of our city and state.”