Hundreds of migrants from the southern border arrived in July at Catholic Charities offices in the Bronx and Manhattan. Many came to New York hungry, tired, and in need of the basics of human dignity at the height of a sweltering summer. Catholic Charities has responded with food, water, and information on shelter and medical resources.
The migrants are part of an estimated 3,000 who have arrived on buses from border states in July and whose presence is taxing the city’s shelter system and other essential services. They include those from Latin America, as well as Africa and Eastern Europe. Mayor Eric Adams has asked the religious community to provide help.
Catholic Charities has provided information sessions with migrants featuring information on their legal rights and responsibilities at the agency’s Immigration & Refugee Services offices in downtown Manhattan. Migrants have also been fed lunch and provided with essential items such as toiletries distributed by Catholic Charities employees and volunteers.
Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, issued a public statement decrying what he described as “the current chaotic approach” in which migrants have been sent from border states with little coordination or planning.
The transport of migrants to New York “is not in the best interest of those seeking protection from violence and other crises in their own countries, nor the good of our own country,” wrote Msgr. Sullivan. “New York must continue to be a welcoming home for those seeking safety for themselves and their families. And we must do so in a way that protects the human dignity of those arriving and the common good of those already here.”
He said that Catholic Charities is ready to work in partnership with government agencies and others to deal with the crisis.
