The variety of migrant kids arriving within the Empire State with out a grownup is hovering, with almost 7,000 children now displaying up solo within the Large Apple yearly, in line with information revealed Tuesday.
Stats present that the variety of migrant children in search of asylum within the metropolis has jumped by greater than 60% over the previous 4 years, consultants instructed the Metropolis Council at a particular listening to.
“Immigrant youth could also be particularly susceptible to falling sufferer to immigration fraud dedicated by dangerous religion actors,” Tom Tortorici, government director of authorized and assist initiatives within the Mayor’s Workplace of Immigrant Affairs, instructed metropolis lawmakers.
“Notably in the event that they lack a steady and reliable grownup guardian to assist them navigate their immigration authorized wants,” Tortorici stated.
The presentation got here at a listening to of two council committees — on immigration and youngsters and youth.
Officers stated 4,153 unaccompanied younger migrants on common arrived in New York State yearly from 2015 to 2019, in line with figures from the US Workplace of Refugee Resettlement.
From 2020 to 2024 the quantity jumped to a median of 6,684 per yr.
In New York Metropolis alone about 3,100 unaccompanied kids have been positioned with sponsors between October 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024, in line with the stats.
And the variety of migrant children left to fend for themselves might be even greater.
“We’ve additionally seen younger folks whose passports have been falsified in order that they may flee,” Jamie Powlovich, a supervisor on the Coalition for the Homeless, testified.
“However all their different paperwork or certificates from their residence nation to point that they’re in truth minors after which [the city Administration for Children’s Services] doesn’t take them,” Powlovich stated. “There may be additionally no consistency on what documentation they’re saying younger folks want.”
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