Mark-Viverito Calls for New York City to House Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Jillian Jorgensen
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito called on New York City to follow Syracuse’s footsteps and offer shelter to some of the unaccompanied, undocumented immigrant children flooding into the country as they flee violence in Central America.
“These children are facing a horrific situation at home, which has led them and their families to make some really difficult decisions,” Ms. Mark-Viverito told the Observer at an unrelated press conference. “I think that we have a responsibility to respond to a humanitarian crisis that we have before us.”
As the federal government seeks a place to shelter children detained at the border as they await appearances in immigration court, some have been brought to New York to be placed in the care of relatives or sponsors here, according to the New York Times. Other cities, including Syracuse, have offered locations to shelter those who cannot be placed with family or sponsors, as reported the Times — and Ms. Mark-Viverito said Thursday she thought New York City should do the same.
Read more at http://observer.com/2014/07/mark-viverito-calls-for-new-york-city-to-house-unaccompanied-immigrant-children/#ixzz38QHWugpT
