They lost their jobs and became homeless

Undocumented immigrants in America are suffering badly from the pandemic

• The admission of more immigrants coincided with a stifling health and economic crisis.

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• Many of the migrants have taken refuge in tents as the land becomes narrow.

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• The income of migrant workers has fallen dramatically.

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Roberto Cirello sleeps in a small blue tent under a train track bridge in suburban Queens, New York.

A migrant from Mexico used to make $ 800 a week in two restaurants in Manhattan, which were closed when the pandemic began.

Months later, unable to afford the rent for his room in the Bronx, he moved to another room in Queens.

Al-Muhajir spoke bitterly, saying, "I never thought that I would end up this way, as I am today."

Advocates and non-profit organizations say that Cirilo is part of a growing number of unregistered immigrants who have been victims of the Coronavirus pandemic.

They worked in areas that were severely affected, such as restaurants, hospitality, or construction;

The lack of income has affected their ability to afford food and rent, which has led some to leave their homes.

Unemployment among Hispanic immigrants has doubled in the United States, rising from 4.8% in January 2020 to 8.8% in February 2021, according to the Immigration Policy Institute.

These figures do not take into account the immigration situation, but activists and social workers in states such as New York or California say that the most vulnerable immigrants, who often do not qualify for assistance, find themselves without a home.

"I have seen an increase in migrant camps suffering homelessness in Queens," said the social worker, Yasinia Benitez, who helps these groups. "At the moment, they are adapting by collecting bottles (for recycling), and they want to contribute to society. And before the epidemic, they used to contribute to society, and some of them paid taxes. ”

As for civic activist in Los Angeles, Corky Mario Cabrera, he says: "We have seen an increase in calls from individuals who live in the streets, or who live in cars, or in garages, or often live with friends in crowded conditions." They even have money to pay their phone bills, which is why we say that one of the side effects of (Covid-19) is in fact the complete dismantling of the safety net for unregistered immigrants. ” most of the time."

Cabrera said that many of the connected migrants are basic workers, their income "has decreased dramatically".

In New York, Cirilo is located next to another tent that a charity bought for homeless immigrants in September.

Next to the tents are backpacks, blankets and bags filled with empty bottles, and cans for recycling.

And Alfredo Martinez lives in a green tent, a Mexican immigrant, too, and used to work in construction, but his work hours decreased when the epidemic began.

The lack of fixed income increased tensions with his roommate, and he ended up on the street, where he had lived for the past four months.

Martinez is now working on and off as a day laborer, hoping to save enough to rent a room, and also, taking on the costs of a 40-hour OSH course.

Al-Muhajir said: “The epidemic began and there was a global collapse,” adding, “This is the first time that something like this happens to me, but I think it is temporary, and I hope this will be temporary.”

Immigrants awaiting entry to the United States were greeted happily, by President Joe Biden's decision to raise the ceiling for permissible immigration, which the Trump administration has set at 15,000.

The number rose to 62,500 immigrants this year.

This followed criticism from members of the Democratic Party for lax change in the low ceiling for immigration numbers.

A worsening crisis

In Arizona, rights groups say women cleaning hotel rooms are struggling financially, and to make matters worse, schools are closed and children stay at home.

For its part, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning said that it does not have specific data on the impact of the pandemic on the homeless.

According to the most recent charities report, the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide increased by 2% between 2019 and 2020, or an additional 12,751 people, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase in homelessness.

And nearly a quarter of all people who experience homelessness (23%) are Hispanic.

Mexican immigrant Roberto Cirello, who suffers homelessness in New York, said he hopes to return to his country of origin one day. “My children have asked me to come back,” he said.

But I can not go back like this ».

Unemployment among Hispanic immigrants has doubled in the United States, rising from 4.8% in January 2020 to 8.8% in February 2021, according to the Immigration Policy Institute.

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