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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 5 Mei 2021

Some immigrants, hard hit by economic fallout, lose homes

statutes, according to the report. The
In Los Angeles, The Coalition for poverty rate for the U.S. born in New
Humane Immigrant Rights has seen York is 20%.
a "significant increase" of calls to a
hotline of assistance for immigrants Immigrants in the country illegally
over the last six months, said Jorge- can't access stimulus help or unem-
Mario Cabrera, the spokesman for ployment benefits even if they pay
the organization. taxes. Some cities and states have,
however, pushed efforts to help.
"We have seen an increase in calls
from individuals living in the street, California gave some cash to unau-
living in cars, living in garages or thorized immigrants last year and
often living with friends in already New York lawmakers recently creat-
overcrowded conditions," said Ca- ed a $2.1 billion fund to aid workers
brera. who lost jobs or income during the
pandemic but were excluded from
"They don't even have money to pay other government relief programs
for their phone bills. This is why we because of their immigration status.
are saying that one of the side ef- The program is the largest of its kind
fects of the COVID-19 (pandemic) in the U.S.
is in fact a complete unraveling of
the safety net for undocumented im- In Arizona, advocacy groups say
migrants," he added. "While other immigrant women who clean ho-
NEW YORK (AP) — Sotero Ciri- ing some out of their homes. communities are receiving (financial) tel rooms are suffering financially
lo sleeps in a small blue tent un- assistance, immigrants are receiving and things got harder for them with
der a train track bridge in Elm- Unemployment among Hispanic nothing, most of the time." schools closed and kids at home.
hurst, Queens. immigrants has doubled in the U.S.,
going from 4.8% in January 2020 to Cabrera said many of the immi- Spokespeople at the U.S. Depart-
The 55-year-old immigrant from 8.8% in February 2021, according to grants calling are essential workers ment of Housing and Urban Devel-
Mexico used to make $800 per week the Migration Policy Institute. These whose income has been "drastically opment said they had no data they
at two Manhattan restaurants, which numbers don't take into consider- reduced." could provide now on the impact of
closed when the COVID-19 pan- ation immigration status but activists the pandemic on homelessness.
demic started. A few months later, he and social workers in states like New In New York, Cirilo's tent is next to
couldn't afford the rent of his Bronx York or California say more vulner- others that Benitez bought for several According to the latest HUD report,
room, and afterward, of another able immigrants, whom often don't homeless immigrants that set up the the number of people experiencing
room in Queens he moved into. qualify for aid, are finding themselves Elmhurst encampment in September. homelessness nationwide increased
without a home. by 2% between 2019 and 2020, or
"I never thought I would end up like According to a recent New York 12,751 more people, marking the
this, like I am today," he said in Span- "I have seen an increase of encamp- City report, there are approximately fourth consecutive annual increase in
ish, his eyes filling up with tears. ments of immigrants experienc- 476,000 unauthorized immigrants in homelessness. Almost a quarter of all
ing homelessness in Queens. Each the city. The Mayor's Office of Im- people experiencing homelessness,
Cirilo, who mainly speaks an indige- has five or six tents," said Yessenia migrant Affairs estimated in the re- 23%, were Hispanic or Latino.
nous language called Tlapanec, is part Benitez, a 30-year-old licensed clini- port that 60% of unauthorized work-
of an increasing number of unau- cal social worker who helps these ers have already lost their job or are Cirilo, the 55-year-old Mexican expe-
thorized immigrants who are falling groups. at risk of losing their job during the riencing homelessness in Elhmurst,
through the cracks due to the corona- pandemic, compared to 36% of all said he hopes to move back to his na-
virus pandemic, some advocates and "Right now, they are adapting by col- workers. tive country one day.
nonprofits say. They worked in hard- lecting bottles but they are working
hit industries — such as restaurants, folks. They want to contribute to so- The poverty rate for unauthorized "My children have asked me to go
hospitality or construction — and ciety. And before the pandemic, they immigrants in the city is 29.2%, high- back," he said. "But I can't go back
lack of income has impacted their were contributing to society, some of er than the 27% poverty rate for green like this."
ability to afford food and rent, push- them were paying taxes," said Benitez. card holders and migrants with other

WH goal: Vaccinate 70% of US adults by July 4

WASHINGTON -- The than half their vaccine doses istered more than 197,800 in-
White House says Presi- unordered. Biden will call for Infections have skyrocketed Daily cases are now edging fections and 2,062 confirmed
dent Joe Biden is setting states to make vaccines avail- in recent weeks, prompting toward 1,000. Oman has reg- deaths from the coronavirus.
a new vaccination goal to able on a walk-in basis and authorities to impose a one-
deliver at least one dose to will direct many pharmacies week nightly curfew that for-
70% of adult Americans by to do the same. bids people from venturing
July 4. outside their homes from 7
So far, more than 56% of p.m. to 4 a.m. starting May 8.
This comes as the adminis- American adults have re-
tration pushes to make it eas- ceived at least one dose of The government also has re-
ier for people to get shots and a COVID-19 vaccine and stricted all business activity
to bring the country closer to nearly 105 million are fully during the day next week,
normalcy. The new goal in- vaccinated. except for grocery stores and
cludes fully vaccinating 160 pharmacies. Those restric-
million adults by Indepen- The U.S. is currently admin- tions cover one of Islam's
dence Day. istering first doses at a rate of biggest holidays, the three-
about 965,000 per day — half day Eid al-Fitr that marks the
That comes as demand for the rate of three weeks ago, end of the fasting month of
vaccines has dropped off but nearly twice as fast as Ramadan. Traditionally, it's
markedly nationwide, with needed to meet Biden's tar- a time of shopping, feasting
some states leaving more get. and mass gatherings.