NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A program that provides summer jobs for young New Yorkers that Mayor Eric Adams has touted as a solution to gun violence excludes undocumented youth.
Undocumented people do not have social security numbers, which are a requirement to participate in the Summer Youth Employment Program, according to Chalkbeat.
SYEP is the largest youth employment program in the country. It connects New Yorkers ages 14 to 24 with jobs that pay $15 an hour, the minimum age in New York City.
Adams proposed expanding the program from 75,000 positions to 100,000 in his preliminary budget.
He portrayed it as an alternative to joining a gang that provides structure, responsibility and pocket change. It is a pillar of his strategy for combating gun violence.
SYEP is partially funded through federal aid though and therefore requires certain tax forms that involve providing a social security number, city officials told Chalkbeat.
The Migration Policy Institute in 2019 estimated there were 77,000 undocumented people between the ages of 16-24 in New York City.
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