AID FOR LIFE AND AID FOR AIDS STATEMENT ON THE MIGRATION CRISIS IN NEW YORK CITY

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Recent comments by Mayor Eric Adams have stirred controversy over how the City of New York is managing the influx of migrants and asylum seekers into the city, which numbers over 100,000 since the spring of 2022. The rapid rise and vast number of asylum seekers have strained City resources, as well as those of nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to new arrivals. Thousands of people have been arriving every week.

While Mayor Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and others have repeatedly pleaded for federal action and resources to support the emergency response and ongoing integration efforts, meaningful funds have not yet been provided.

Jesus Aguais, President and Founder of AID FOR LIFE and AID FOR AIDS shares his thoughts:

“Since founding AID FOR AIDS in 1996, to provide people with HIV across the globe access to lifesaving medications, I have seen inequities that surpass those of just health. This led me to create our partner organization – AID FOR LIFE – initially to respond to infant malnutrition, and now serving migrants and asylum seekers along their treacherous journeys from our offices across Colombia, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Our organizations are dedicated to providing vulnerable people access to resources for their survival as they flee life-threatening political and social conditions in their countries and ‘yearn to breathe free.’

New York City has been built by immigrants and is always expanding. Ultimately, as history has shown and as documented by the National Academies of Science Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), immigration is an economic engine that benefits local and national economies over the long term.

Federal action is urgently needed to expedite asylum cases and fast-track the right to work for asylum seekers as they wait for their cases to be heard so they may sustain themselves, and their families, and alleviate the burden on cities and states.

The migration crisis is also a humanitarian crisis – policymakers must work together to provide adequate resources for cities receiving newly arrived asylum seekers in large numbers. Leaders across the hemisphere must also address the root causes of migration – factors such as political persecution, economic inequities, violence, and the effects of climate change must be dealt with to enable people to thrive in their home countries and not be compelled to leave in the first place. The current flow is unsustainable.

AID FOR LIFE and AID FOR AIDS will continue integrating newly arrived asylum seekers in New York City. We will raise awareness of the need for federal funds and policy changes. We will rally and ensure that vulnerable populations have the resources they need to survive.”

###

About AID FOR AIDS

Founded in 1996, AID FOR AIDS (AFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering both communities at risk of HIV and the general population. AFA provides free anti-retroviral medication to people with HIV around the world who lack access to treatment, promotes policy reform and capacity building, and offers preventive education and training, in order to improve quality of life and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.

About AID FOR LIFE

Founded in 2018, AID FOR LIFE (AFL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to generating social impact and enhancing the lives of people at risk of social vulnerability in New York City and low and middle-income countries by implementing programs that increase their capacities, and abilities and provide access to essential products that strengthen the well-being of their Communities.

Veda Mathur
Arcos Communications
+1 212-807-1337 ext. 20
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube