Seeing women with babies hanging on their backs and even minors alone offering sweets and chocolates on the train system, in the streets and parks of the Big Apple, has become common mainly since last year, after the arrival of a wave of migrants to New York.
And although there are many New Yorkers who criticize the fact that there are children in the midst of informal commerce, and others even ask for severe measures to prevent children from being exposed to product sales, immigrant advocates are calling on municipal authorities to Do not criminalize these vendors, mostly Ecuadorian women and minors, and they warned that behind this practice there is an immense need that drives them: the vast majority do not have access to free or low-cost child care services and do not have permanent shelter.
This was revealed by a survey presented by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and carried out by the organization Algún Día, which reported that candy vendors on trains and parks lack sufficient resources and options to allow them to leave their children. under the care of adults and being able to go out alone to earn a living.
Of a total of 75 recently arrived migrants who sell items with their children, 42% indicated that one of the biggest obstacles for them is that they have no one to leave their children with, so they cannot accept jobs and all of them do not know that there are child care programs like Promise NYC, day care centers or pre-kindergarten programs for 3-year-olds. 34% are women under 25 years of age and 75% are Ecuadorian.
Likewise, 64% of those surveyed claim to live outside the shelter system, without permanent shelter, and 88% stated that they began selling out of necessity, and 60% indicate fear of incurring fines and interaction with the police during their stays. sales days, but even so they reveal they have no alternative but to take the risk.
“They have told me everything on the trains when they see me selling with my little son, but what else can I do if everything here is very expensive and we don’t have family to take care of the children. “I’m not going to leave him locked up alone,” says a subway saleswoman, originally from Cuenca, Ecuador, who preferred to keep her name secret, and who asked the authorities not to persecute them for their business and rather offer them help. “Many people here, mainly Latinos, criticize us a lot. They have called me a bad mother, they have threatened to turn me over to the police, as if we were monsters or criminals. It seems that they forgot that everyone must have been hard hit at the beginning. I prefer to sell with my little son and take a risk and not steal or be a child, but a little help like daycare and more stable jobs would help us.”
The NYIC report further mentioned that 83% of newly arrived informal vendors who work with their children have aspirations of having better jobs, but emphasize that they have not been able to make them a reality due to limitations in childcare. Even current beneficiaries of support programs like Promise NYC fear that if the city budget does not allocate $25 million in funding, they will be left without those services, making the outlook for newcomers with children look bleaker.
The data obtained made the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and leaders of the Big Apple raise their voices to ask the municipal administration that instead of singling out parents who sell with their children, programs be deployed to help them. and can have better opportunities.
Among the recommendations presented, they call for investing and establishing a foundation of $25 million in Promise NYC to provide child care vouchers for children who are not eligible for other forms of child care vouchers, as well as restoring $4 million in the Initiative of Immigrant Families Communication and Outreach to help immigrant families with different levels of literacy and access to digital media obtain school-related information in their own languages, and help them enroll children and connect to services.
They also demand that access to Summer Rising and After School programs be prioritized to provide care for children during the summer and after the school day ends so that parents can access a full-time job. Also approve Introduction 47 to decriminalize street vending to eliminate all criminal penalties for misdemeanors for general vendors and mobile food vendors.
After learning about the survey data, Comptroller Brad Lander called for it not to be ignored and for it to be used to find options that can ensure that children are in schools instead of engaging in informal commerce with their parents. , while helping adults get full-time jobs, secure shelter, and not be criminalized.
“These findings illuminate the reality of the systemic barriers and neglect faced by immigrant families in New York City, forcing parents and children into unsafe work environments, unstable housing situations, and legal vulnerabilities. Investing in programs like Promise NYC that ease the financial burden of child care, as well as providing stable housing solutions and decriminalizing street vending, will help create a safe and supportive environment for newer New Yorkers to access the resources they need to be successful,” the official said.
Liza Schwartzwald, director of Economic Justice and Family Empowerment, at the New York Immigration Coalition, highlighted that when families have access to child care, parents can go to work while their children have a safe place to go, security with which train vendors do not currently have.
“With nowhere to turn to access affordable care for their children, families are forced to make difficult decisions to ensure they can continue to work while keeping their families safe. “It is imperative that the Mayor and City Council fund Promise NYC with $25 million in the next City budget to ensure that our new neighbors have the tools necessary to truly thrive and build the next chapters of their lives here,” said the advocate. .
Monica Sibri, co-founder of Algún Día, mentioned that if there are parents who, knowing the risk they run when selling their sweets on trains, with the fear of being penalized and even being separated from their children and continue doing so, shows the level of need that they suffer.
“Imagine the courage it takes, at such a tender age, to navigate an underground world, not only of trains but of complex social and legal challenges. “Children and their parents are not only burdened with candy, but also with the great weight of uncertainty: fear of making the wrong decision, fear of displacement, and the terrifying possibility of being separated from their families,” he said. “Our team toured the metro, heard heartfelt stories and faced the stark reality of unmet needs and untapped potentials. What we found was not just a call for help, but a deep-rooted desire among these children and their families to belong, contribute and succeed.”
Voices of support for metro workers have also emerged from the Municipal Council.
“Access to child care is essential for the development of our children and to support families in finding opportunities in our city that help them contribute to our economy,” said the president of the Big Apple legislative body, Adrienne Adams. “Promise NYC has proven to be an effective investment for families who need child care but lack access to other programs due to their immigration status. This new report only further underscores the need for the City to expand funding for this critical program, and the Council will continue to fight to ensure that happens in the city’s final budget.”
Councilwoman Jennifer Gutierrez of Brooklyn’s 34th District said the survey highlights an urgent need for the city to fund more free child care programs for newly arrived or undocumented immigrants.
“New Yorkers have become accustomed to seeing people and their children selling products on the streets and in the subways, but there is a better, safer option for these children. “Promise NYC is a proven solution that addresses the urgent need for child care for undocumented children and helps parents seek better employment opportunities,” said the Latino politician. “The Promise NYC program is currently at full capacity and demand continues to grow, so securing additional funding to expand Promise NYC is essential to comprehensively support our newest New Yorkers.”
Councilwoman Shahana Hanif criticized Mayor Eric Adams for not supporting a solution that would help solve the problem of children selling on trains and streets with their parents and called for action and less rhetoric.
“It is appalling that Mayor Adams has proposed completely eliminating the Promise NYC program in his Executive Budget, especially given the notable increase in children selling with their families. Since its launch in January 2023, Promise NYC has been a lifeline, providing child care to immigrant families who were previously excluded from eligibility (over 600),” the policy said. “However, while many vendor families are eager to find child care, many do not know about the program or are unable to secure a spot in the program.”
Despite the support expressed from different sectors towards parents who sell sweets with their children, subway users like Gloria Martínez do not hide their annoyance and assure that many would be using “pity” to make money.
“They are not going to trick me by saying that they go up to sell with children because they have no options, they know that with a child they are more pitiful and I have seen how many white girls give them $10 and $20 dollars. The law must be for everyone. They should be off the trains selling because they are putting children at risk, this already seems like a Latin American country with so much begging, because that is what it is, pure begging,” said the Panamanian. “Like many Mexican ladies who sell on the street alone, they chase them and even take their things, and these ones who go around with their children with their little phrases of buy me, they don’t do anything to them and when you complain to them there, they get really rude and even They tell you bad words and threaten you. We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by that pity. Order is needed.”
The Adams administration, for its part, says it has intensified its efforts to ensure that children of recently arrived migrants who sell in subways, parks and streets go to schools, with information campaigns, while claiming to have reduced the cost of the programs. child care costs going from $55 dollars to $5 dollars weekly.
“Our administration is working tirelessly to reduce costs and make child care more accessible for all New Yorkers, regardless of how long they have been in our city,” a City spokeswoman said.
Data
- 75 newly arrived migrants were surveyed
- 88% stated that they started selling out of necessity
- 8 out of 10 sellers with children say they have no other option
- 60% indicate fear of incurring fines and interaction with the police during their sales days
- 42% indicated that one of the biggest obstacles is that they do not have anyone to leave their children with
- 34% of salespeople with children are women under 25 years of age
- 75% are Ecuadorian
- 64% of those surveyed say they live outside the shelter system, without a permanent roof
- $25 million they ask for n program financing