The call for a “Day without Immigrants”, which proposed to show how almost all basic services in the country’s large cities would be paralyzed, in the absence of immigrant labor, although in practice it did not have much impact in the Big Apple, it was indeed an inspiration for dozens of community leaders to take to the streets this Monday to press for the approval of an immigration reform, but also four state laws, which would especially benefit the undocumented.
In New York City, the strike call for immigrant workers, encouraged by the tiktoker Carlos Eduardo Espina, did not “sleep” any service, but it did spark a sequence of actions by more than 60 community organizations and made visible on social networks how the comprehensive immigration reform proposed by President Joe Biden is stuck in Congress.
This Monday From Times Square, also coinciding with Valentine’s Day, hundreds of leaders of organizations, workers and day laborers living in the Big Apple, joined a national action that from the main cities demanded that the White House and the Democratic majority in the Capitol , take clear action in the face of the promise to chart a path to citizenship for more than 11 millions of undocumented people.
“We are saying with this action, from the capital of the world, that from today we will not leave the streets until the democrats keep their promise. ‘A day without immigrants’ as a call fulfilled its objective. And he made it clear, before the media that possibly ignored this issue, that the majority of Americans interpret it as something very positive for the economy, that millions of people who are in the shadows can be legalized, “said Diana Moreno, executive director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE).
Moreno, who leads NICE, an organization based in Queens that offers support to day laborers and workers, interprets that millions of people have become aware of a truth: the “great contribution” of immigrant communities to the country.
“Obviously no service was paralyzed today in New York, but with this national movement, we are making it clear once again, what would happen, for example , if in this city, our workers go on strike: there would be no transportation, the construction industry would be paralyzed. And all, absolutely all, the restaurants would close,” said Moreno.
NYC ran its course, but…
In short: the restaurant industry ran its course to serve millions of diners on Valentine’s Day , there was no school absenteeism and in general the labor machinery that pulls the strings in New York continued without major developments.
“Today is Valentine’s Day and for those of us who work in the restaurant industry it is excellent in tips. None of my companions dared to miss. We can’t afford to stop. But no one has any doubts that if we immigrants shut ourselves in, New York doesn’t work,” said Mexican chef Lorenzo Martínez.
This restaurant worker has some clear “accounts”.
“At the restaurant where I work in Manhattan, if we Mexicans are absent, it just can’t open. There is no one who cooks, who serves, who cleans. That is clear to the owners. And they experienced it in December when a group of us got sick. They had to close for three days, with thousands of reservations pending”, he said.
A package of 4 laws
But while the real balances of “A day without immigrants” did not show greater weight, this Monday dozens of organizations that defend the rights of immigrants in New York, announced what will be days of action to pressure the State Assembly and Governor Kathy Hochul for the approval of four key pieces of legislation that would benefit the working class of the state, especially the undocumented.
Earlier in the Union Square, in Manhattan, in the morning hours, hundreds of workers, spokesmen of organizations and coalitions, met to announce what will be a sequence of mobilizations that will put on the table this week the need for New York legislators to offer emergency and other more permanent relief to the so-called t essential workers.
“We are here not to beg for help, but to have access to the protections we deserve, because we never rest during the hardest days of the pandemic. We are important for the economy and that is very clear. Now, New York has to listen to us,” said Angela Solís, spokesperson for Make The Road NY (MTRNY), just one of the organizations participating in this “movement” for protections for essential workers.
The four main requests of activists are already in the form of bills in the state legislature.
The first proposal seeks to create unemployment insurance for thousands of workers, already classified as “essential”, but do not have papers to qualify for this type of federal aid.
They also push the approval of $3 billion for a second round of the Excluded Workers Fund in the state budget, which would allow this plan to be more accessible to all workers who are eligible, particularly those who have been left behind. of the first round approved in 900.
Thirdly, the modification of the State Health Law to include health insurance for all workers living below the poverty line, regardless of their immigration status.
Finally, there is pressure for the approval of a housing law called “Good Cause”, which tries to avoid the catastrophe of thousands of tenants Those with months of arrears in the payment of rent, due to the financial problems derived from the pandemic, will be thrown out on the street in the coming months.
Mexican immigrant Teresa Guerrero demands an end to the deportations. (Photo: F. Martínez)!Don’t chase us!
The approval of this legislative package would be a great relief for informal workers such as Mexican Teresa Guerrero, who works on the streets of the Big Apple from 900, when he left his native Puebla behind, looking for a better life.
“It seems fair that at least they don’t persecute us, nor continue to fine us. We are only working honestly”, demanded the seller of ‘hot dogs’ from the Bronx, who joined the protest with a banner that demanded the immediate legalization of undocumented immigrants.
Teresa’s discomfort is sum to 11,000 street vendors, who also in the midst of this crusade, have the objective of passing legislation that expands the licenses to operate legally as informal merchants.
There are resources
In her budget presentation last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $2 billion fund for the legislature to determine how it is spent.
Right now opinions are divided in Albany.
Some are in favor of reinstating the rent guarantee program known as ERAP, while others propose more money for the Fund for Excluded Workers.
“Already whether it’s help for small landlords and their tenants in distress, or for the most disadvantaged industries and workers, or for other purposes, ”explained Governor Kathy Hochul.
Although for the immigrant defense organizations the injection of resources that include the approval of the four pieces of legislation are “vital”, there are already weighty opinions within the state legislature.
In this sense , the senator representing Upper Manhattan, Robert Jackson advocates that the funds be directed to curb the imminent drama of evictions.
“Faced with the possibility of someone losing their home, family structures tend to to of crumble We want to make sure that people stay in their apartments,” Jackson explained to local media.
Others believe that it is time to speed up the second round of the Excluded Workers Fund, which includes undocumented workers and day laborers , as is the case of Assemblywoman Karines Reyes.
“We have a majority of our delegation in the Assembly that believes that we should put more money in the Fund for Excluded Workers, but, but in general terms, solutions must be sought to establish a permanent safety net for those who have been excluded”.
The call in networks social events of “A day without immigrants” lit the fuse of mobilizations in New York that will continue throughout this week.
The route of the actions this week:
- Tuesday 15 February: It will be dedicated to make domestic workers in New York visible through various virtual initiatives.
- Wednesday 16 February: Make the Road NY will launch actions in support of restaurant workers and the food industry.