Governor Kathy Hochul requests President Biden take executive action to help with asylum seekers (August 24, 2023)
Governor Kathy Hochul has announced new efforts to address the asylum seeker and migrant crisis in New York, after the Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country.
The action applies to individuals from Venezuela, who have continuously resided in the United States on or before July 21, 2023.
This announcement follows more than a year of advocacy from Governor Hochul and a broad coalition of New Yorkers working to secure work authorization for asylum seekers and migrants, allowing them to exit the shelter system and begin living independently.
Hochul said, “This announcement from the White House is a critical step, putting these individuals on the path to legal status that comes with work authorization.”
Wednesday night, President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security announced the redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain individuals from Venezuela.
Under federal law, individuals subject to TPS can be legally authorized to work 30 days after filing their application while other new arrivals are subject to a 180-day waiting period. While waiting 180 days for legal work status, asylum seekers and migrants are unable to earn a paycheck or pay rent, leading to extended stays in publicly-funded shelters or hotels.
Hochul has directed the New York State Department of Labor to connect employers with newly-eligible asylum seekers and migrants who are on the path to receiving work authorizations. More than 70 state personnel, representing 16 separate State agencies, have been surged to assist in this work authorization effort.
Last month, Hochul announced the Department had launched a new portal enabling businesses to inform the State that they would welcome newly-authorized individuals into their workforce.
The Department also created a new registration process where asylum seekers and migrants with work authorization can register for assistance. Officials from the New York State Department of Labor and the United States Department of Labor will meet in the coming days to discuss opportunities for partnership and growth.
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