White House Has No Immediate Plans To Expedite Work Permits For Asylum Seekers

The White House has informed the I-Team that there are no plans in the immediate future to expedite the process of granting legal jobs to tens of thousands of disadvantaged asylum seekers in the U.S. Despite rising local costs of shelter and businesses in need of workers, President Biden's fellow Democrats are urging the administration to act on this issue. Asylum seekers like Eduardo Espinoza, currently residing in a Brooklyn shelter, express frustration at the months-long waiting period to receive a legal work authorization card. While Democrats suggest that the president has the authority to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to specific groups, including Venezuelans like Espinoza, the White House spokesperson indicated that they do not have any TPS announcements to make at this time. Republicans, on the other hand, argue that fast access to work permits would encourage individuals to enter the country illegally and strain the already overburdened immigration system. Immigration attorneys and experts, such as Lenni Benson, suggest that even if TPS is granted, there may still be significant bureaucratic backlogs to clear up before individuals can receive the documents they need to prove their eligibility to work.


An I-Team inquiry about the number of asylum seekers who received work authorization cards since spring 2022 went unanswered by a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Immigration. However, an agency spokesperson stated that applications are processed efficiently and humanely, with new backlog reduction goals and premium processing options available. Unfortunately, premium processing can be unattainable for unauthorized migrant workers, who may wait months for authorization. Waiting periods were established to deter migrants who falsely claimed asylum from working. This has frustrated business owners, such as Mike Lopez of Benny's Cuban Café in Queens, who have had to turn away over 100 migrants seeking work. Asylum seekers are selling fruit and chocolates on the subway, and some employers are exploiting them by not paying for their work. Jesus, an electrical wiring contractor from Venezuela, is owed $3,500 by his employer, who stopped paying him. In some cases, migrants are being hired as messengers but used as drug couriers, according to Jesus Aguais, founder of the non-profit Aid for Life, which helps refugees.

According to Jesus Aguais, the founder of Aid for Life, if action is not taken to support migrants, criminal organizations will exploit them. Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, hopes that the Biden administration will take action to support migrants who want to contribute to their communities and the businesses that want to hire them. The New York congressional delegation plans to ask President Biden to take action. Democrats have previously urged the president to use his executive authority to redesignate TPS for Venezuelan migrants who are fleeing oppressive conditions. The U.N. has listed Venezuela's displacement crisis among the top three in the world, alongside Ukraine and Syria. While the Biden administration plans to allow 30,000 migrants a month from four countries, including Venezuela, to enter the country and work, they must apply for permission to enter from south of the Mexican border and have a sponsor in the U.S. Asylum seekers are struggling to afford necessities like medicine, MetroCards, school supplies, and shoes. Migrants receive shelter and meals from New York City but are not entitled to most public assistance. Aid for Life estimates that of the 50,000 migrants who have landed in New York City since last Spring, approximately 26,000 are Venezuelan. Support for Life distributes food, clothes, and other goods each Saturday morning to migrants. Despite making a death-defying jump onto a moving Mexican freight train known as "the beast" and surviving a 12-to-18-month wait for work papers, Luis Espinoza is still unable to work. He is unable to afford a ticket to Yankee Stadium.