TESTIMONY
Diana I. Ayala on Addressing Migrant Resource Challenges and Misconceptions
2:54:03
·
174 sec
Council Member Diana I. Ayala stresses the importance of understanding the complexities in providing resources to migrants and combating misconceptions.
- Ayala discusses the misinformation affecting New Yorkers' perception of migrants, emphasizing their hardships and necessity to migrate.
- She underscores the responsibility of the host country to ensure migrants' safety and aid in their path to self-sufficiency.
- Ayala highlights the need for intensive case management to support migrants in adjusting to their new environment.
- The council member also expresses condolences to the family of a young man murdered, illustrating the tangible impacts of the migration crisis.
Diana I. Ayala
2:54:03
Thank you.
2:54:06
I don't think that people understand the the dynamics of what's happening here and just how many hands it takes to really ensure that we're providing adequate resources for human beings because these are people And as I I as I'm sitting here talking to we were listening to you, the mother of the young man that was murdered at Randalls Island, is sending me a photo of her son's body arriving to Mexico to to Venezuela, and you know, how badly she feels that she had to get her son back in this way.
2:54:53
But I I don't think as I'm as I'm the more I learn about this, because it's a very difficult subject, and I and there's been so much that has been said, that has, I think, poisoned, you know, the minds of, you know, average New Yorkers into thinking that, you know, people that are seeking asylum, migrants are, you know, are the the bad guys here.
2:55:18
Not realizing, you know, that families like the one that I was just talking about, you know, they're making $20 a week in salaries and have to feed entire families.
2:55:33
Young children, people that are really, you know, that are persecuted and have to stand in line sometimes for days just to be able to have access to the bag of rice to have something to put on the table.
2:55:48
And so they don't leave willingly just because we're offering, you know, all of these lavish gifts because we're not.
2:55:55
They leave out of necessity.
2:55:57
And when they get here, we have a responsibility to make sure that they're safe or they're under our care.
2:56:03
And I I wanna be clear.
2:56:04
I've always said that I don't believe that, you know, we should house people indefinitely.
2:56:10
We shouldn't.
2:56:11
We should be helping them figure out what the path is towards self sufficiency.
2:56:17
And that requires intensive case management.
2:56:20
And that is why, you know, I asked that question at the beginning is because I think that that factor is missing And unfortunately, a lot of you are filling in those gaps, but the demand is higher than you know, even with all of these resources, we're able to to really truly effectuate any change.
2:56:41
But thank you for your your services and for coming today because I think this is important that not only to show solidarity and support for the bills that are are are being introduced, but, you know, just also to shine a light on your experiences because those experiences are real too.
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