TESTIMONY
Angela Serda, Mother and Immigrant from Ecuador, on Inadequate Shelter Conditions and Lacking Support for Immigrants in New York City
0:10:09
·
13 min
Angela Serda, a immigrant from Ecuador, testifies about the poor living conditions, lack of case management, and inadequate support for obtaining immigration documents she and her family have faced in New York City's shelter system.
- Serda describes being transferred unexpectedly to a hotel with degrading conditions after signing paperwork she did not understand.
- Her children have suffered emotional distress from the frequent disruptions to their schooling and lack of recreational activities.
- Serda states she has been unable to get a work permit due to lack of guidance from case managers on her immigration paperwork.
- She expresses gratitude for being allowed to testify but notes the unfair treatment of migrant families in the shelter system.
UNKNOWN
0:10:09
Good afternoon.
0:10:10
My name is Angela Serda, and I'm from Ecuador.
0:10:15
And So I came to United States on December 3 2020 2022.
0:10:48
And initially, everything seemed to be going fine.
0:10:52
We were placed at the shelter, the wind shelter in Rosa Parks, in South Parkslow, Brooklyn.
0:11:01
However, days past, and we started to get a little confused.
0:11:09
We were not getting enough orientation.
0:11:12
We were not given enough information in terms of how to apply for our immigration papers.
Angela Serda
0:11:25
In So
UNKNOWN
0:12:01
we will never assign a a case like, a regular case manager.
0:12:07
They were different every time.
0:12:10
So I wasn't able to follow-up on on my case.
0:12:15
I I had to go by myself and do my my immigration papers myself.
0:12:22
And then I was supposed to receive my mail regarding my my paperwork at the shelter, but I never had access to that.
0:12:31
My case manager never actually helped me with the with the correct information.
0:12:37
So therefore, as of now, I do not have a working permit and I'm not able to support myself.
Angela Serda
0:12:49
Just a trunk key, like, you know, bass guitar, like, and that is never guitar.
0:12:54
Toy.
0:13:00
No.
UNKNOWN
0:13:05
Program.
Angela Serda
0:13:38
So
UNKNOWN
0:13:43
her case manager kept she was worried that she wasn't advancing enough with her immigration papers, but the the case manager keep telling her, don't worry about it.
0:13:53
Everything will be okay.
0:13:54
You won't be you hope you'll be okay.
0:13:57
Nobody's gonna throw you away from here.
0:14:02
But, unfortunately, one day, she was coming back from the hospital with a little child that was sick.
0:14:07
And she was very overwhelmed.
0:14:10
And when she got to the building, security, or staff member, from William Shelter tells her that she needs to sign this paper that it that it wasn't English.
0:14:20
She wasn't even understanding when what was there.
0:14:22
And they were just they just pressure her to sign.
0:14:26
And because she was so overwhelmed, she she did.
0:14:30
And then after that, she was given a bunch of trash bags, and they told her you need to you're you're leaving, you need to put your your belongings here, you are being transferred.
Angela Serda
0:14:47
No.
0:14:49
No.
0:14:55
No.
0:14:55
It's not a normal.
0:15:04
To make sure.
0:15:29
Porky used yet.
0:15:32
Getting is done.
UNKNOWN
0:15:37
Superbeing.
Angela Serda
0:15:44
Professor
UNKNOWN
0:15:56
So this paper that she was that she signed, it turns out.
0:16:00
It was a a notice of transfer.
0:16:03
It was given to her with less than 24 hours, and then they just saw her you're you're being transferred to a hotel.
0:16:11
And then this person was, like, a like, case manager for La Natalia.
0:16:17
Like, her case manager tells her, don't worry about it.
0:16:20
Things are gonna be a lot better for you there, but it turns out it wasn't.
0:16:26
She's been living a nightmare.
0:16:28
The conditions that she's now living in this hotel room is they're just so degrading, but the the thing that she's worried the most is how the her kids have been impacted emotionally.
0:16:46
Because their their her kids love their their school.
0:16:51
They they have been now traveling a long distance just to go to their school, which is the place that I I had last referring.
0:17:02
They they tell her mommy is I I wanna leave my school.
0:17:05
I love this this this place, and all my friends are there.
0:17:10
So she's she's really living a a hard time.
Diana I. Ayala
0:17:21
No.
Angela Serda
0:17:31
Don't have.
0:18:10
Is
UNKNOWN
0:18:14
not
Joslyn Carter
0:18:21
Okay.
UNKNOWN
0:18:42
So this new place that Angela is now, she just saying how there's a lot of mistreatment that she receives by the staff, ma'am, by the staff of the hotel, the the cleaning staff, they insult them all the time, they tell them that they're stupid, that they're are not clean people.
0:19:05
They just use a lot of abusive words with her and again, she's so worried based mainly about her her children.
0:19:19
They get sake all the time because of the food.
0:19:22
It the food is just really horrible.
0:19:27
And they they they don't have they have to be all the time inside the room.
0:19:33
There's nothing for them to do.
0:19:36
Anne.
0:19:37
Oh, sorry.
0:19:38
Anne, she's she also said that if it wasn't because of the lack of you know, the the the the the fact that the case manager didn't give her enough orientation.
0:19:54
In terms of her paperwork, she will now be able to have a work permit and maybe be able to be a little more independent and and have a job and be able to support her kids and maybe get some temporary permanent housing.
Angela Serda
0:20:35
No.
UNKNOWN
0:21:15
So she's saying that she came basically, she came here to get a better future for her children.
0:21:22
Her dad was killed in back in in in her country.
0:21:27
Her mom died as a consequence of of his dad death, and they just came here to provide a better life for their children and the impact that the children have have emotionally worries her a lot.
0:21:47
And she sees that when her her small kid tells her mommy, I know today you don't have money to buy me food.
0:21:55
It's okay.
0:21:56
It's okay.
0:21:57
We we don't have to eat today.
0:22:21
It.
Angela Serda
0:22:28
Is not the name of the rest of them.
0:22:30
They are not like a milla or a maintenance community is in Peru.
0:22:35
The very assembly differential.
UNKNOWN
0:22:44
So thank you very much for listening to me today.
0:22:47
So it's Angela, and
Diana I. Ayala
0:22:52
sorry.
UNKNOWN
0:22:57
She said that she's grateful for for all of you for listening to her.
0:23:05
She understands that she's she's not supposed to get free things here.
0:23:10
She didn't came here to get free food or free housing or anything like that.
0:23:17
But but she thinks that it's just unfair the way they they are treated, the way they they they were just transfer from, you know, one day to the other, to this place that they're now really the conditions are not very optimal for her and especially for her children.
0:23:40
So
