NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced that 18,000 jobs are now available for eligible asylum seekers through a portal created by the State Department of Labor.
The plan to pair employers and asylum seekers started more than a month ago and aims to incorporate asylum seekers into the workforce as soon as possible, Hochul said at a press conference.
“They came to work, so let’s put them to work,” Hochul said. She also announced that 400 employers have already enlisted.
Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams had previously urged the Biden administration to expedite the issuance of work permits to asylum seekers. Responding to these calls, the Biden administration on Sept. 21 announced an extension for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to over 400,000 Venezuelan migrants currently in the United States. This new policy allows eligible Venezuelan asylum seekers to acquire work authorization in a reduced timeframe—within 30 days as opposed to 180 days.
The portal for employers to sign up and the registration form for eligible asylum seekers is available through the Department of Labor's website. Asylum seekers and migrants with work authorization can register for assistance through the portal.
Hochul explained that she had never witnessed unemployment rates plummet below 4% in her lifetime, from a staggering 18%. “It dropped 42% while I was governor,” she stated.
Danny Meyer, the founder and chief executive of Union Square Hospitality Group, who founded Shake Shack and whose current culinary empire includes Gramercy Tavern and the Michelin-starred The Modern, was also present at the event. “It's an opportunity to staff up since COVID," he said of the initiative. "The more diverse, the better. The more stories, the better."
Hochul on Sunday expressed concerns about the borders of the country, emphasizing the record-setting influx of over 260,000 migrants last month. “It is too open right now,” Hochul said on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
“We want (Congress) to have a limit on who can come across the border,” Hochul said. “People from all over the world are finding their way through, simply saying they need asylum, and the majority of them seem to be ending up in the streets of New York, and that is a real problem for New York City.”
Despite the need to address the influx of migrants, Hochul made it clear the city is at capacity.
“This is not an open invitation. Our hearts are big, but our resources are limited,” she said.
Venezuelan asylum seekers can begin applying for TPS tomorrow.