Cold and hungry, migrants told amNewYork Metro that their American dream has turned into a living nightmare as they continue to languish on the streets while waiting for temporary shelter.
Photo by Dean Moses
Shivering amid the cold as a storm approached, more than a thousand migrants lined up outside the East Village’s former St. Brigid School for processing at the reticketing center set up there.
Most of those lined up for blocks leading to the site hail from Africa; they had spent days camped out waiting for their turn to enter the center in the hope of finding a place to sleep after Mayor Eric Adams limited shelter stays to 30 days for single adult men.
“We come from Africa where it is hot. Now here it is so cold, temperature go down,” 43-year-old Alioubobo Diallo said from behind a metal barrier as he waited to enter the building. “It is not easy. I can’t feel my foot, it is so cold.”
Diallo explained that he traveled from Senegal, leaving behind a wife and children while seeking a better life in the United States with the ultimate goal of bringing his family to the Big Apple since he fears for their safety.
“In my country there is so much violence, political violence,” Diallo said. “I am not getting work and if you try to protest, they kill them. If you talk about politics, they arrest you.”
Despite having spent several days on the street, Diallo says he is thankful for the help from the New York government, yet not all new arrivals feel the same way.
Since the migrant crisis began in April 2022, New York City has struggled to put up the newcomers in proper shelter and provide services to them to set up new lives in the Big Apple. While some critics have charged that aid for migrants has been easy to come by, some of the newcomers at the East Village site argued that nothing has been given to them easily.
One man, who refused to give his name out of fear of retaliation, said he had been living on the streets for a week and had…
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