(Co-published with Documented.)
JCR never had a difficult time finding a cooking job in New York City for the last 15 years until the pandemic hit. Most of his restaurant industry friends started working for construction, which is where he eventually started working part-time after looking for work for months. His experience is similar to thousands of New York City immigrants’. Last August, Documented asked its undocumented readers how they dealt with the pandemic, which revealed similar struggles. Community members most often asked about ways to find food or receive economic help. The Guardian
In other local immigration news…
Farmworkers Are Finally Getting Vaccinated
Thousands of New York farmworkers are finally being offered the COVID-19 vaccine. Agricultural workers were left out of the state’s earlier vaccination plans, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the group should be prioritized. There’s no estimate of how many workers have been vaccinated so far, but industry sources who spoke with City Limits say thousands of them have received shots. Long Island is one location with a low vaccination rate for farmworkers. According to Angel Reyes, Rural & Migrant Ministry’s regional coordinator in Long Island, anecdotal information suggests that 50 percent of the 200 workers he contacted were vaccinated. City Limits
Black New York Immigrants Demanding Protections
Hours before President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday, advocates gathered to demand humanitarian protections for undocumented immigrants from majority Black nations. Advocacy groups organized several events for the Juneteenth weekend, including a rally at the Cameroon American Council and the New Sanctuary Coalition in Harlem to demand Temporary Protected Status be expanded for Cameroonians. Susan, a Cameroonian citizen and teacher who came to the U.S. two years ago, is one of about 40,000 Cameroonians residing in the U.S. without legal immigration status. She spent six months in immigration detention and is afraid of being deported. Roll Call
