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Wanted: NYC workers who speak Spanish to volunteer on migrant crisis
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published May 9, 2023
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published May 9, 2023
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City employees are being asked to volunteer multiple 12-hour shifts — in lieu of their normal duties — to help direct and manage busloads of new migrants expected to arrive at newly opened “emergency respite sites,” according to a copy of an email shared with Gothamist.
Mayor Eric Adams’ Chief of Staff Camille Varlack sent a memo to city workers on Sunday saying City Hall is looking for volunteers who can commit to working twice a month between either the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. or 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Varlack added that those who sign up must ask their supervisors if they can be excused from their “traditional work duties.”
The call for volunteers within an already strained municipal workforce reflects the mayor's increasing urgency toward the migrant crisis, which he has repeatedly said is already testing the city’s safety net systems and will cost more than $4 billion over the next two years.
Of the roughly 61,000 asylum-seekers that have arrived since last spring, the city is caring for more than 37,500 in emergency shelters and other facilities.
The plea for help with staffing also comes as New York City officials are bracing for the end of a pandemic-era border policy on Thursday that is expected to usher in another wave of migrants, many of whom are fleeing violence and poverty in Latin America.
The memo notes that the city is in particular need of volunteers who can communicate in Spanish.
“As the vast majority of asylum-seekers speak Spanish, we are most in need of volunteers that have some Spanish language competency,” Varlack wrote.
Someone who works in one of the mayoral agencies covering about 1,000 people shared Varlack’s email with Gothamist. But employees in two other departments said they have received similar requests to volunteer.
A different email that went out on Monday noted that the city is most in need of site managers, but also could use "general support, security, cleaning and other human-service-related responsibilities."
Union volunteers will be paid according to their collective bargaining agreements, according to the email. On Tuesday, some city employees were informed that they could work shifts less than 12 hours.
Asked about the outreach, Fabien Levy, the mayor’s press secretary, said City Hall does not discuss “internal discussions.”
“We are considering numerous options, and as the mayor has said publicly multiple times, this is an issue that will affect every city service, and as we’ve been saying for a year, we desperately need federal and state support to manage this crisis,” he added.
In recent days, the mayor has been seeking help from nearly every corner of government and within major industries, asking major landlords, business officials and city agency heads to identify potential space to house the migrants.
The city also recently announced a plan to relocate single adult men seeking asylum to hotels in two suburban counties outside the city. Elected officials there have vowed to fight such an effort.
But the attempt to enlist a broader range of municipal employees to assist migrants comes amid an ongoing shortage of city workers that has hobbled agencies and delayed the delivery of key services, including food stamps, sexual health care and affordable housing production.
Several city agencies have been involved in the efforts to house and provide services for migrants, including Emergency Management, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the city’s public hospital system. And in recent months, the National Guard has also assisted in the effort to greet migrants at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Sunday’s email was not the first time administration officials have asked city workers to volunteer their normal work hours toward assisting with the migrant crisis. In September, Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services, wrote at least two emails asking for help from city workers.
In March, Adams announced a new Office of Asylum-Seeker Operations to coordinate the city’s response. At the time, he said the newly created agency would allow workers from other agencies who had stepped in to help with the migrant crisis to refocus their attention on their traditional duties.
So far, no announcements have been made about who will lead the new agency.
Tagged
new york city
housing
Asylum Seekers
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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