Feds enable some Venezuelan asylum seekers to work. How many in NY?

Chris McKenna, New York State Team
·5 min read
2

Thousands of migrants sheltered in New York and barred from legally working can now apply for federal work permits under a Biden administration decision that state leaders had long sought.

The federal government will now grant temporary protected status to migrants from Venezuela who entered the U.S. before July 31, which enables them to bypass a five-month wait and apply right away for work authorization. Nationwide, that decision could benefit as many as 472,000 Venezuelans who fled upheaval in their country, federal officials estimated.

Leading the applause was Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has pushed for speedier work authorization to move the newcomers into jobs and self-sufficiency.

“Work authorization is the way out of the migrant crisis,” Hochul said in a statement Wednesday night after the decision was announced. “Individuals who achieve legal work status will be able to exit the shelter system, find work opportunities and get their shot at the American Dream."

Hochul said 41% of asylum seekers in New York are from Venezuela, a huge share of its recent arrivals from South and Central America, West Africa and other places.

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How many Venezuelan asylum seekers in NY can get work permits now?

The number who can seek work permits because of Wednesday's decision may be more modest than that percentage suggested.

For example, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press briefing Thursday that roughly 15,000 of the 60,000 migrants in the city's shelters now qualify for temporary protected status, but 5,500 of them are children who can't work.

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That leaves 9,500 adults from Venezuela who could start to earn a living and leave the city's care.

Adams noted the progress and daunting challenges ahead: "Now we must deal with this 45,000 that remain and the 10,000 that we are getting every month so we don't financially harm this city."

What is temporary protected status and why do Venezuelans get it?

Temporary protected status is given to migrants from countries deemed too dangerous for the U.S. to return them. The Department of Homeland Security sets those designations for limited periods of time and bases them on temporary conditions, such as civil war, a natural disaster or an earthquake.

Venezuela, mired in political chaos, is one of 16 countries that has qualified. But its designation lapsed, preventing Venezuelans who have fled since 2021 from claiming that status. This week's decision extended it for 18 months. Those who entered the U.S. after July 31 won't qualify.

Having temporary protected status enables the migrant to stay in the U.S. and apply for a work permit.

The city has taken in more than 113,000 asylum seekers in all since they began arriving by the busload from the southern border in spring of 2022. The 60,000 currently in its care includes about 2,200 that it has placed in hotels in seven counties outside the city, as the USA Today Network reported on Thursday.

Jorge, 43, and Renny, 22, both from Venezuela, are two of the dozens of asylum seekers that were brought from New York City to the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh. Both men, photographed outside the hotel May 31, 2023, said that they had to flee their home country because of danger faced by themselves and their families had they stayed. Jorge left a wife and two daughters behind.

What do they have to do to get work authorization?

A 1996 federal law forces asylum seekers to wait five months after applying for asylum before they can seek work permits. They must then wait another month for permits, though it usually takes much longer to process applications and grant approval.

For those housed in New York City shelters and upstate hotels, that has meant either working off the books if they find jobs or sitting idle while waiting for the months to pass.

Those who now qualify for temporary protected status can apply right away for work permits and wait 30 days for approval.

Wilson Martinez, 25, pictured here on Aug. 22, 2023, is an asylum seeker who arrived in the United States from his native Venezuela in May and has been living at the Ardsley Acres Motel with his wife and eight-month old son for two months.
Wilson Martinez, 25, pictured here on Aug. 22, 2023, is an asylum seeker who arrived in the United States from his native Venezuela in May and has been living at the Ardsley Acres Motel with his wife and eight-month old son for two months.

The Hochul administration announced it has allocated $30 million to help asylum seekers apply for work authorization. About 50 federal workers are in New York this month to process those applications.

The state has assigned more than 70 of its own employees to help match employers with job-seeking migrants. It opened online portals last month to register both employers and would-be workers.

What are the political reactions in NY?

Among those praising the decision was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who had joined fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer and 24 other Democratic senators in a letter in July that urged the Biden administration to redesignate the temporary protected status for Venezuelan immigrants.

"Allowing these men and women to work is common sense," Gillibrand said in a statement. "It will enable these individuals and families to find safe and legal work, pay their taxes and expenses, and will ultimately relieve some of the pressure on our city and state."

Rep. Pat Ryan of the 18th C.D. in New York, photographed at 2 Alices Coffee Lounge in downtown Newburgh Jan. 12, 2023.
Rep. Pat Ryan of the 18th C.D. in New York, photographed at 2 Alices Coffee Lounge in downtown Newburgh Jan. 12, 2023.

Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose Hudson Valley district has three hotels where New York City placed some of its asylum seekers, said the decision enables migrants to "do exactly what they came here to do": work and build a better life for their families. It also supplies ready workers for businesses and lifts pressure on New York City, he said.

"I've heard repeatedly from small businesses, especially farmers, that they have a desperate need for workers," Ryan said in a statement on Thursday. "This decision will help bridge that gap."

Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican whose neighboring district crosses 11 counties, dashed cold water on the cheers.

"There’s absolutely nothing to celebrate," Molinaro wrote on Twitter. "This will make the crisis worse. Address the root cause. We need the House’s border & immigration reform bill."

Rep. Marc Molinaro, left, shakes hands with Chris Gibson after being sworn in during the Ulster County swearing-in ceremony for Molinaro in Saugerties, NY, on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2023.
Rep. Marc Molinaro, left, shakes hands with Chris Gibson after being sworn in during the Ulster County swearing-in ceremony for Molinaro in Saugerties, NY, on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2023.

The city sent 272 migrants to two counties in Ryan's 18th District — 186 to Orange, 86 to Dutchess — in May before courts barred further placements in those counties. That total has since dropped as asylum seekers have left.

No asylum seekers are housed in Molinaro's 19th District.

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY migrants from Venezuela can now seek work. How many are here?