What Life Looks Like for Migrant Workers Sent to New York

New York experienced an influx of new arrivals this year, as people fled political instability and economic upheaval in South America. Thousands were bused into the city from states such as Texas and Arizona. Now they have to make ends meet. That typically means finding a job.

But for those still waiting for their papers, work can be grueling and hard to come by. To help migrants navigate the city’s informal economy, multiple nonprofits have sprung into action. Volunteers and organizers from groups including New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York have enrolled people in construction-site safety trainings and informed them of their rights as workers. They’ve also started crowdsourcing work boots for adults and coats for children and have circulated information about so-called paradas, the Spanish term for street intersections where people can pick up day labor jobs.