REMARKS
Council Member Althea Stevens criticizes asylum seeker and shelter policies
1:51:04
·
6 min
Council Member Althea Stevens addresses the New York City Council to express concerns over asylum seekers' support and shelter policies, citing firsthand observations and testimonies.
- Stevens references testimonies from young asylum seekers discussing their experiences and challenges.
- She critiques the lack of city and federal support for asylum seekers, noting her visit to a mosque sheltering a significant number of them.
- Stevens emphasizes the importance of leading with compassion and proper support for asylum seekers despite it being primarily a federal issue.
- She points out the inefficiencies and loopholes in the current system, like the 30-day rule, and calls for more effective solutions.
- Stevens advocates for better coordination and support from the administration to address these challenges.
Althea Stevens
1:51:04
GOOD MORNING.
1:51:04
I THINK IT'S STILL MORNING.
1:51:05
Oh, No.
1:51:05
IT'S AFTERNOON.
1:51:07
Good afternoon.
1:51:08
Thank you guys for both being here.
1:51:09
And I just have, like, 2 sets of questions, and I'll now start one with, you know, I I think our chair set our sentiment to right.
1:51:19
I thought that it, you know, it would have been really important for folks to hear this testimony that was happening here earlier today with those courageous young men who were here to kinda talk about their experiences.
1:51:29
And I say that because I also was at a mosque recently near my district where about a 100 to 200 asylum seekers have been staying because of the 30 day rule and just seeing the conditions there.
1:51:45
And I'm just saying we wanna we wanna work.
1:51:47
We wanna we wanna do something.
1:51:49
And even the mob saying, like, we wanna help of people, but we're not even getting support from the city.
1:51:55
And, like, they're, like, we're hoping with and they're happy to do it, but they're, like, they're hoping, you know, with food, they're and they're getting donations from community members for clothes and all the things.
1:52:05
And, you know, I've reached out to the administration and haven't gotten any responses back.
1:52:10
On this.
1:52:11
And I I I wanna note, I am fully aware this is the federal issue, and I agree that they should definitely be doing more And, you know, I say it all the time.
1:52:20
I didn't sign up to be a council member to figure out immigration issues.
1:52:24
I signed up to figure out potholes and stop signs, but now here we are.
1:52:29
And so we're all in this together, but that doesn't mean that we don't lead with compassion and love and and do us right.
1:52:35
And this is not saying that you guys aren't working as hard as you can, but it's still a problem.
1:52:40
So we can't negate one for the other because, yes, it is not a it's it's a problem.
1:52:46
It is a federal issue and all those things, but it's here.
1:52:49
And so that means that as we are trying to find it together.
1:52:53
We need to be leading with love and compassion.
1:52:56
And when I saw at the mosque, when I visited, it's unacceptable and then even the story that these men told today is unacceptable.
1:53:03
So we do have to do better as a people, and this is not even just the city.
1:53:07
This is just me saying this as human being.
1:53:11
I don't think that people should just suffer in this way and and and all the stories have been coming out.
1:53:16
And I kinda left in my train of thought, but even something that was said here today that the wait time after the 30 days that they're waiting 5 to 10 days in order to get placed again.
1:53:27
And so my thinking around this is like, how is this helpful?
1:53:32
And it kinda seems like a redundant services if we have people cycling in and out and actually seems like it would cost more money because if I leave, Now we have we're readministering people over and over again.
1:53:44
It sounds like this is a a weird cycle that we're putting in, and it doesn't sound like it's really cost effective either.
Molly Schaeffer
1:53:53
So thank you for your concerns, and I'd also love to talk to you a little bit more about that mask because We obviously want to make sure that places where people are staying are safe.
1:54:01
We since since the spring, we've, as I've said before, we've served over a 179,000 migrants, and we have led with care and compassion and love.
1:54:15
Because we have done everything in our power to stand up at a site to give people immigration support.
1:54:23
We've done everything in our power to help people along with their journey bring in Well,
Althea Stevens
1:54:27
if you were here earlier, you would have heard that the young men the the the gentleman who were here this morning, they said, actually, that hasn't been happening, and that they've been doing that on their own.
1:54:37
So that's why I think even hearing that today that statement is it could be true, but it's not happening consistently because it was set here.
1:54:47
So that's what I mean like the inconsistencies.
1:54:50
Right?
Molly Schaeffer
1:54:50
Yeah.
1:54:51
And I mean, we stood up a system of 216 sites in less than 2 years.
1:54:57
We I wanna follow-up with those individuals, see which sites they were at, really see what's happening at those specific sites.
1:55:04
We that's why I talk to people all the time, that's why I go to sites as to really see what's happening and ensure that we are delivering on the most quality product that we can.
1:55:14
But I mean, I I just again, I'm gonna take a step back and say, when you're when we are dealing with an influx of 1000 to 5000 people every week, and we currently have over 64,000 migrants in our care.
1:55:33
We have to make hard choices and complicated choices.
1:55:37
And choices that provide support for the most vulnerable in our care at the most critical points.
1:55:45
In their journey, which is when they first get here.
1:55:49
We can't control what happens at the border.
1:55:51
All the things that we can control are what happens when people are in our shelter, and we can't we need all the tools in our toolbox to continue supporting these newest arrivals and ensure we're doing that with care and compassion at this point more than 76 1000 or sorry, 76% of people leave our care before the 30 days, and it really has helped ensure that we have space and the staff capacity to give people what they need in that 1st 30 days.
Gale Brewer
1:56:22
Howard Bauchner:
Althea Stevens
1:56:23
Yeah, so just and and Chad, just send me a couple more seconds.
1:56:26
Just just really quickly.
1:56:28
Because it's something that you said that was just like a a a a a reply from me just even saying like the critical you like to serve people with their most critical moment.
1:56:35
Think that's subjective because I think if you ask all of them, it's a critical moment.
1:56:39
And so that becomes subjective.
1:56:40
And so I think that that's and and again, this isn't saying that Folks aren't doing their job.
1:56:45
I just think that there are holes in the system, and I think the 30 day thing is actually creating more holes than you.
1:56:52
Are anticipating than at it than solving.
1:56:55
Right?
1:56:55
And so if people are already leaving at large numbers before to 30 days is up, then you don't need to have the mandate there.
1:57:01
So that to me doesn't, you know, those things doesn't doesn't sit well with me.