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Saqueo Mejia, a dump truck driver for Prime Junk Removal, was standing behind his own vehicle when a second truck started backing up and pinned him between the two trucks on Friday afternoon. Medics found him unconscious on the ground and tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Diego Mejia, the victim’s brother, was heartbroken to miss his chance for a final goodbye and had to deliver the devastating news to his parents via video chat. Mejia began his life in Brooklyn five years ago and continuously sent money to support his parents and five brothers in Guatemala. New York Daily News
In other New York immigration news…
Why I Fled Donald Trump’s America
📍Documented Original
Fabiola and her family of nine fled their home in Columbia to seek safety in America, but they eventually feared for their lives there as well. The family’s life was going fine in Columbia when the economy dipped and a guerilla began forcing the family to pay a “quota” to be left alone. When they failed to meet the quota in 2013, putting Fabiola’s son in danger, they decided to head to the U.S. Yet once President Trump got into office, the family began facing persecution and feared losing their children. In 2018, the family became one of thousands of asylum seekers who left the U.S. for Canada. Read more at Documented
Why Many Tenants Got Shut Out of NY’s Rent Relief Program
The New York state rent relief program designated $100 million of the state’s CARES Act money for tenants in need of financial aid. But the program has provided less aid than elected officials initially announced. The Department of Housing and Community Renewal disclosed in a report that it can supply less than $40 million because of the program’s strict eligibility requirements. Only 16 percent of those who applied in August were approved as of Oct. 28. To qualify for the program, which only helps pay a percentage of the rent, tenants must meet income requirements and provide a variety of documentation to prove that income. THE CITY
Cuomo Still Hasn’t Signed a Bill to Help Separated Children
📍Documented Original
In 2018, more than 350 migrant children were separated from their parents and sent to Manhattan by the federal government to be housed in facilities throughout the city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) criticized the Trump administration for the decision. But two years later, he still has not signed legislation to stop this from happening again. The Separated Children Accountability Response Act, created in 2018, would enhance the state’s social services law. The Senate passed it in 2019 and the Assembly followed in July 2020. But Cuomo still has yet to sign it, despite usually taking 10 days to review and sign approved bills. Read more at Documented