This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
About 25% of adults in the tri-state area remain unvaccinated, leading New York organizations to ramp up their work to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, especially in vulnerable communities. Jennifer Diaz led New York Immigration Coalition workers through Jamaica, Queens, to hand out masks and vaccine information. The neighborhood currently has a vaccination rate of only 40%. Diaz spoke with a Spanish-speaking fruit stand vendor, who was unvaccinated. She said she knows the vaccine is good, but hasn’t decided whether to actually take it. When Diaz was asked if it was possible to change people’s opinions on the vaccine, she said it’s best to ensure they have the right information to make the decision. PIX11
Meanwhile New Jersey is going through a similar situation as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) urges residents to get vaccinated. The state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the U.S., at 58%. But there are still individuals who are hesitant to receive it. Murphy said there are a variety of reasons some people aren’t vaccinated. A May 2021 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed one-third of unvaccinated Hispanic/Latino adults wanted to be vaccinated but were afraid of missing work, feared their immigration status would be revealed, and worried about having to pay out of pocket. Bollyinside
Court Cases in New York Are Scheduled Out to 2023, Leaving Asylum Seekers Hopeless
📍 Documented Original
Diana waited four years for her asylum case hearing at a New York immigration court, which was finally scheduled for April 2020. But due to the pandemic, that date was pushed back to 2023. Advocates say that when immigrants have to wait years for asylum cases, it can make it difficult to find witnesses, harder to recall facts and saddle immigrants with the heavy mental toll of waiting. According to the Transactional Research Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, there are over 1.3 million pending cases in immigration courts. New York City immigration courts have close to 115,000 pending cases, the highest in the U.S. According to TRAC, individuals have to wait an average almost 1,100 days to appear in court. Read more at Documented.
