How New York City Became the Center Of a Debate Over Immigration
Jose, An asylum seeker who arrived in New York City from Venezuela, camped out in Brooklyn in July. He says he was expelled from a shelter due to an incident in the facility bathrooms. José A. Alvarado Jr./José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption
Jose, An asylum seeker who arrived in New York City from Venezuela, camped out in Brooklyn in July. He says he was expelled from a shelter due to an incident in the facility bathrooms.
José A. Alvarado Jr./José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPRNew York City has become an unlikely battleground for migrant rights.
The city, like others, has struggled to deal with the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants - bussed in from Republican-led states like Texas and Florida.
Amid rising pressure to do something to alleviate this problem, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it was granting Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to nearly a half million Venezuelans - thousands of whom are in New York City. TPS protects them from deportation and allows them to apply for work permits.
Host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Jasmine Garsd about how New York has landed at the center of America's immigration debate and what the Biden administration's policy announcement means for migrants.
This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino. It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Adam Raney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.