Federal immigration policies and visa processing delays have slowed migration to New York City by 45 percent over the past four years
Immigration to New York City dropped 45 percent between 2016 and 2019, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. About 34,000 immigrants moved to the city last year, compared with 62,000 in 2016, analysis from William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, found. City officials and advocates say federal immigration policies and visa processing delays have slowed migration to the city. “I am worried that declining rates of international immigration will hurt not only future economic growth in New York City but the stability of New York City’s tax base,” said Michael Hendrix, director of state and local policy at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. The Wall Street Journal
In other local immigration news…
New Jersey Workers Gather to Call for Better Labor Conditions
Essential workers in New Jersey gathered in Elizabeth on Labor Day to call for a change. “We are here today demanding that workers in New Jersey have the right to work with dignity and respect and refuse work that is unsafe for them,” said Kevin Escobar, with the Wind and Spirit Immigrant Resource Center in Morristown. Teachers, as well as warehouse, airport and construction workers marched down a main street to decry unsafe working conditions during COVID-19. Demonstrators said the state reporting system for unsafe conditions is too slow and want quicker action. News 12 New Jersey
Former Detainees Sue Detention Management Company Over Labor Conditions
Two former immigrant detainees are suing Akima Global Services, a private company that operates the Buffalo Federal Detention Center, where they were formerly held, over labor violations. The former detainees worked for a dollar per day cleaning the buildings, and said they had to disinfect cells of women who had head lice and dig through bags of garbage to find a missing spork. “To treat these (detainees) like this and pay them pennies to do this kind of work is bordering on slavery,” Dalila Yeend, a former detainee suing the company, told the Times Union. “It is absolutely inhumane, and these facilities should be ashamed of themselves.” Times Union
Corona, Queens, Still Reeling as the City Begins to Reopen
It’s been six months since COVID-19 first spread through New York City, but many areas are still struggling to return to normal. The virus hit Corona, Queens, the hardest of any neighborhood, and it had an outsized effect on people’s livelihoods as well. Hundreds of Corona residents still line up for free food and many more remain out of work. Some have even become homeless due to the sudden loss of income. “When we were in lockdown, there were many who didn’t have food or weren’t prepared for the shutdown,” one resident said. “People couldn’t leave their homes because they were sick or too scared to go shopping. THE CITY.