Immigration and New York City: The Real Story
It will come as no surprise to most of our readers that 40% of New Yorkers are foreign-born and 60% live in a household where at least one family member was born abroad — because, of course, many of you fall into this category (as do we).
In other words, we are all typical New Yorkers and understand that there is more complexity to the current migrant crisis than politicians are willing to admit. But as this crisis escalates and local and federal representatives seem to be more focused on political capital than facts, we thought a level set would help readers truly consider where we go from here.
A System too Complicated for Throwaway Tweets
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine offered a number of ill-conceived and misleading takes on Twitter last week referencing ‘waves’ of past immigration and seemingly suggesting that we just scoop up as many who will join us and get on with life in the city. It capped off what has been a notable lack of understanding and respect for the state of immigration in New York City by the majority of local politicians jumping in on social media to weigh in on the crisis.
Because, of course, with such an immigrant-heavy population already, if we don’t talk about the current situation in a bigger context there is no progress forward.
Our residents don’t need to be told how valuable immigrants are to the economy and fabric of New York City. We live it and are collective proof of how valuable and integral we all are to the future prosperity of the country. And that is what is so disheartening about the recent rhetoric put forward by city, state (and federal) leaders. We don’t need the Ellis Island spiel, we need a recognition of the grave reality of global human displacement (estimated to be 108 million) and a cessation political pandering before we are in far, far over our collective heads.
While it’s easy to interpret the drop in foreign-born as contradicting the talk of a crisis, instead it reflects a decrease in skilled migrants due to Trump era policies pushing out visa holders.
The Immigrants of New York City Today
Asylum Seekers & Economic Migrants
The current crisis at the southern border of the US is driven in most part by food insecurity, political unrest and the continued economic setbacks wrought by Covid-19. All horrible experiences for any human to face but not necessarily within the scope of our federal policy on seeking asylum. And even for those who do qualify the process is exceedingly complicated. The starting point to apply and all the documentation required can be seen here.
The process is also rife with loopholes. Specifically, you can assert a need for asylum, enter via the proper channels but then never apply or be rejected and then evade expulsion. You have 12 months to apply.
Unfortunately, historical data on the asylum process is not on the side of those arriving. Seeking asylum is either done at one of the border entry points on US soil or after here when facing removal. In either case, the number of approvals each year is small compared to the staggering number of cases awaiting adjudication. According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are 1.3 million applications pending. And the Council on Foreign Relations says that of those that make it to a judge only 52% of cases are approved. The total for 2022? 36,615.
Arrivals to New York of those with no legal status in 2023-to-date from all borders.
New York is also an increasingly attractive destination for single adults arriving to the US border. Single adults in New York outpace families and children 3:1 (slightly higher than that number for other destinations in the US).
Finally, there is a dark underbelly to migration to the US that has been glossed over. From human smugglers recruiting via Tik Tok to families desperate to pay the criminals who transported them here and women being forced into prostitution. The fact is, there isn’t necessarily safety once migrants are stateside, and it’s arguable more than many local politicians are qualified to properly address.
Refugees
We can only assume that the borough president’s tweet about ‘waves of migrants’ was in reference to humanitarian crises over the past decades which sent refugees to the US. A refugee is someone seeking asylum who was forcibly displaced (e.g.,they did not ‘migrate’). Refugees differ in that their designation is defined and protected in international law (read the UN 1951 Refugee Convention here).
Many in our city came via those conflicts which have come all at once in waves. Notably many neighbors in Lower Manhattan who are now parents fled the Bosnian War in the 1990s as kids.
But where the borough president is being exceedingly flippant and disingenuous is in conflating all of these groups as one, because as we are pointing out here, the distinction between groups is acute. And, frankly, it is his duty to constituents to consider how hard working New Yorkers, who are also immigrants, will ultimately foot the bill for the mismanagement of this crisis.
Naturalized Citizens
According to the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs 2021 Report nearly 22% of foreign-born New Yorkers are naturalized American citizens. The naturalization process can take decades, though, depending on your country of origin. Because unfortunately most don’t realize that quotas exist for greencard grants based on country of origin.
It’s a catch-22 that traps many families in a perpetual state of impermanence. So, for instance, many Indian residents have waited unsuccessfully for decades without becoming permanent residents and as a result there are children (called ‘documented dreamers’) unable to stay despite their parents legal status legal status.
Visa Holders & Non-Legal Residents
Finally there is a group of migrants who are non-citizens. This group accounts for about 15% of the total and includes both visa-holders, as well as, those who are here without any legal status. Of course the distinction impacts tax revenue. While many who are here without legal status do pay taxes, the current migrants coming in now won’t necessarily grow the tax base at a time when the working class are already shouldering a disproportionate percentage of the city’s economic pain.
Bottom Line: Let’s Start With Facts Before Proceeding to Solutions
While our leaders don’t seem to want to be honest about the situation at hand, we will call this situation for what it is: far more serious and complicated than our city, its residents, and local politicians are equipped to handle.
So here are the questions we must answer together to move forward:
The women and children arriving to our city must be the focus. As parents we know that to undertake a harrowing and dangerous journey would only be done to protect your children and give them a better life. These groups need protection from exploitation, sex trafficking, and cannot be overshadowed by the single men arriving and taking the attention of the media right now.
There is no end to the current crisis but it is of our making and its overshadowing the needs of vulnerable residents. There are millions worldwide who would come to our city and country if they were able to easily enter and receive services. That’s just a simple fact. So the performative nonsense of our Democratic leadership is a signal to the world that we will take care of anyone who wants to come. But in doing this they are offering phones, food and housing it’s single men, not families, arriving in large numbers. All while ignoring the thousands of homeless and vulnerable in our city that aren’t given any of these perks and instead still lie on our streets.
Legal immigration has made New York one of the best cities in the world and the process does need reform. If you look at data over many decades; we are better for our immigrant population, but if you also dig into the issue (and hopefully we’ve given you a start in understanding) it’s incredibly complicated to navigate the channels and make a life here. And to disregard this group means a continued degradation of our tax base and ensures a less buoyant future.
Most importantly, we should not allow this issue to divide us or given politicians the opportunity to use it to further their political party’s position. It is a Pandora’s Box that is proving to be much bigger, darker and harder to control because we don’t realize how lucky we actually are and how quickly it could all fall apart.