More than 1,000 immigrants gathered outside New York City Hall on Tuesday ahead of a City Hall oversight hearing focused on the experience of black arrivals.
Most of the attendees were reportedly from Haiti and Guinea, West Africa, and were seeking more help, better shelters and work permits.
Only 250 people were allowed into the 10 a.m. hearing, but hundreds more flocked to the park across the street.
Videos circulating on social media show the crowd singing and cheering.
Some people were allegedly encouraged to attend under the false pretense that they would receive green cards and work visas, and an activist group led them to City Hall, a source told the New York Post.
Hundreds of immigrants gathered outside New York City Hall on Tuesday ahead of a City Hall oversight hearing focused on the black immigrant experience.
Most of the migrants are reportedly from Haiti and Africa and are seeking more “assistance and ability to work.”
City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, who serves as chair of the Immigration Committee, organized the hearing to present testimony from undocumented African immigrants in the city’s shelters.
“Today’s hearing focuses on the experiences of black immigrants in New York and has had the participation of more than 1,000 people,” Avilés said in a mail in X.
“We must eradicate anti-blackness that plagues our care systems; this work requires dedication, creativity, and a city willing to fund our short-, medium-, and long-term needs.”
The crowd allegedly gathered under the false pretense that they would receive green cards and work visas.
Before hearing testimony, committee members heard from activists whose work focuses on providing services to African immigrants.
A bill to survey newly arrived immigrants and asylum seekers to collect data on their skills, economic prospects and barriers to job growth is expected to be introduced at the hearing.
A press release obtained by the New York Post said the City Council’s Immigration Committee and Hospitals Committee held the joint hearing to “understand how [Adams] The administration is addressing language access barriers, cultural competency challenges, health needs and other obstacles facing new immigrants.
The statement stated that before hearing testimony, committee members heard from activists whose work focuses on providing services to African immigrants, The New York Post reported.
Also expected to be introduced during the hearing was a bill that would require the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), to survey immigrants and applicants newly arrived asylum seekers to collect data on their skills, economic prospects and barriers to employment growth.
“Black immigrants, who are disproportionately harmed by all aspects of our immigration system, deserve linguistic justice, dignity, and access to services,” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wrote in a mail in X.
City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, who serves as chair of the Immigration Committee, organized the hearing to present testimony from undocumented African immigrants in the city’s shelters.
“Thank you @CMAlexaAviles and @CMMercedesCD46 for holding this critical hearing – we need equity and anti-racism in everything we do.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams has been highly critical of the Biden administration and the influx of migrants into sanctuary cities, referring to the issue as ‘one of the largest humanitarian crises this city has ever experienced.’
The city has welcomed more than 175,000 immigrants and is currently hosting about 67,500, limiting them to a 30-day stay in a shelter to alleviate overflow.
DailyMail.com has previously reported on the collapse of immigration programs as a result of racial tension between asylum seekers from Latin America and Africa.
Adams has estimated that the city will spend $12 billion over the next three years to handle the influx, establishing large-scale emergency shelters, leasing hotels and providing various government services to migrants.