Sanctuary cities are straining to support the thousands of migrants arriving by bus
The arrival of thousands of migrants in New York, Washington, Chicago and beyond has sent officials in those cities scrambling to establish a system of support
The arrival of thousands of migrants in New York, Washington, Chicago and beyond has sent officials in those cities scrambling to establish a system of support services, with mixed success.
In New York, the Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center aims to provide assistance, including school enrollment. The Office of Migrant Services in Washington, D.C., will offer urgent medical care and connection to resettlement services. And in Illinois, the governor has issued a disaster proclamation to “unlock resources” to assist asylum-seekers.
But as the buses keep arriving, advocates and volunteers said, the need for even more support is increasingly clear, and asylum-seekers are falling through the holes of an already stretched social safety net.
Ariadna Phillips, the founder of South Bronx Mutual Aid, said that when buses of migrants began arriving in New York months ago, there were one or two a day. The number can now be as high as eight, she said.
Phillips said migrants have been calling volunteer groups in the city “constantly” with problems, leaving volunteers in rapid-response mode.
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