Dislocated Undocumented Workers Will Receive Money to Help Their Families Abroad

Oct 22, 2001

Several hundreds of unemployed undocumented workers will receive this Wednesday, October 24^th, at 10:30 am, some money to help their families who are abroad. This money is coming from businesses, organizations, churches, AFL-CIO unions, families, and professionals, who have sent their donations to Asociacion Tepeyac de New York. Asociacion Tepeyac is a network of 40 Mexican organizations in New York City. This Association has focused its efforts to serve the Latino immigrants affected for the tragedy of September 11th.

Associacion Tepeyac is organizing a PRESS CONFERENCE with those dislocated and undocumented workers to explain how they get stuck to receive help from institutions.

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2001

Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Place: Judson Memorial Church

51 Washington Square Park South St/ Between Sullivan and Thomson/

Trains A, C, E, B, Q, Stop West 4

Thousands of workers, who had worked at the World Trade Center or at the surroundings, have lost their job after September 11^th. A lot of them have tried to get another job without success. The NYC Job Expos have neither worked for undocumented immigrants and they have to continue looking for another job without money in their pocket since September 11^th.

Many of undocumented immigrants do not know yet that there is some help for them while they look for another job. They are thinking to go back to their countries. Some dislocated undocumented workers have received some help from the Red Cross, Safe Horizon, and Salvation Army, to pay their expenses. Only those immigrants who have children who were born in US are able to receive help from FEMA. Immigrants are not receiving enough to survive in this expensive City, therefore they are neither able to send money to their families abroad, like they used to do it before September 11^th. Many of them are still waiting to received the delayed checks from these Institutions or they are still trying to get any document or photo ID to get some help.

Undocumented workers need to prove that they were working in such closed or disappeared businesses, in order to receive some help. Most former employers do not endorse their workers because they are afraid of sanctions, given that they were hiring undocumented immigrants. Hundreds of unemployed Latinos who worked at restaurants, cafes, bars, pizza place, newspapers stands, cleaning companies, etc, mostly undocumented immigrants, have requested some help and advice from the Asociacion Tepeyac de New York. This Asociacion has been making aware Institutions, which provide help for affect people for the WTC tragedy, to help dislocated immigrant workers. There is some success, however there are still some problems to receive help.

Undocumented workers will have the opportunity to say thank you to the Institutions and their volunteers, explain those problems that they have to receive and use the help, make some other requests and, after the Press Conference, they will get answers from these Help Institutions. It will be at the same place, from 11:30 to 12:30. Many of the dislocated workers will be willing to be interviewed.

Responsible

Bro. Joel Magallan, SJ Executive Director /Asociacion Tepeyac de New York