“Forcing people to rely on public benefits not only undermines people’s perceptions of what makes America great, it undermines an important truth: When people come here, they want to work.” Become.”
Jean-Marie Everly
Brooklyn aid flyer.
I came to New York from Venezuela five years ago. I was running a nonprofit organization that supported political prisoners, and the government asked me to go to court. After learning about the experiences of many people I have helped, I understand what it means.
I was outspoken about the dictatorship in my homeland and they were going to put me in jail. “I don’t want to be a political prisoner in a Venezuelan prison” is a universal human response. Especially if, like me, you looked at your inner state and knew how they would treat you. At that time, I applied for asylum in the United States.
Now I live in New Jersey, where I had to start from scratch. The hardest part was not being able to work. It took him six months to get a work permit because there is a legal requirement that asylum seekers wait 180 days before getting a work permit.
It was a very challenging time. I couldn’t work legally, so I had to rely on government assistance. Some people told me I should get a fake ID or avoid the law, but I knew that wasn’t the right choice. I was lucky that I didn’t end up in an exploitative situation. I just wanted to work, but the law wouldn’t allow it.
Now I work for an organization in Manhattan, helping other people who come here like I did six months ago. I was able to piece together my life here in America. But denying asylum seekers the right to work when they first arrive is un-American. Forcing people to rely on public benefits not only undermines people’s perceptions of what makes America great, it undermines an important truth: When people come here, they want to work. Masu.
This 180-day waiting requirement is especially misguided given that so many businesses are struggling to hire the workforce they need to grow. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are 9.6 million job openings and only 6.5 million people looking for work.
This policy results in missed economic opportunities. But it is causing real harm to people seeking safety and new communities. In a legal settlement in the 1980s, New York City promised to provide shelter to everyone who needed it. That promise was never intended to provide housing for people seeking safety who were unable to work or support their families when they first arrived here. But that’s what we arrived at. And we started removing people from the shelter after 60 days. But they can’t work, so they can’t earn rent.
However, there is some hope. Congress’ bipartisan Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act would grant asylum seekers the right to work 30 days after their asylum claim is processed. As many states face labor shortages, this bill joins faith leaders, local elected officials, including the mayor of Boston, and the national #LetAsylumSeekersWork campaign to amplify this call. No wonder it has the support of business organizations across the United States.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports the bill, saying it would be a “good start” to “making meaningful progress in securing America’s borders and modernizing our broken immigration system.” More than 100 business groups have also written to Congress asking for a resolution to the issue.
As the current border debate in Congress shows, no one said solutions to the refugee crisis would be easy. But this is an important first step. It’s a win-win-win for people like me, for our new community, and for our economy as a whole.
Andreina Zuluaga is a New Jersey refugee delegate..