Written by : Jhaylin Saquicaray
In January 2023 , news broke out that dozens of illegal immigrants protested outside the Watson Hotel in New York City. The Watson Hotel had been held down as an asylum for illegal immigrants , this hotel usually ranges about three hundred dollars per night. News broke out when immigrants started to protest when they were asked to leave and saying “ we will not leave” These immigrants who were single men , kept refusing orders to move to a different location in Brooklyn , the city had made requests to move these men out in order to make space for women and children.
Some of the immigrants have stated that the reason they will not move is because their new location assigned is cold , crowded , not enough bathrooms and way too far out from the city. Being close to the city is important to them because of job opportunities. A
Dominican man was interviewed regarding the issue he stated “ I feel bad because
I rather live on the streets , they are treating us very poorly by taking us to that place , that place is not for human beings”
Many states have been going through a rough time trying to catch up financially and organize everyone efficiently , some have even been housing in public schools. Some residents had a lot to say “ how is it that the states are helping people from another country but wont even provide help for their own people ?”
From my own thoughts , It is unfair when migrants come into a country that they’re not originally from and on top of that demand where to be placed. Coming from an immigrant family , nothing was handed to my parents before they came to this country. They made sure they had a plan , Their number one established plan was housing. This train of thought might sound selfish but , being an immigrant does not mean you have to be handed everything for free; instead, you have been allowed to live in the United States and start working to have a better life. Equally, other significant factors make it unfair for immigrants to demand free housing from the United States government. Among these factors, they are a liability to the United Nations economy. This is because they eat into the taxpayers’ money since the free housing levies have to be settled, as well as the utility bills. Nonetheless, according to the news on illegal immigrants’ protests against being relocated, the protest outside Watson Hotel indicates that this hotel was funded with taxpayers’ money (Spady, 2023). After being allowed free access to luxury hotels, the illegal immigrants became comfortable, and they forgot they needed to start looking for other ways of surviving, like looking for manual jobs which could sustain them until the government found alternative placements for them. Their reluctance against relocation is a significant blow to the economy of New York City since these hotels cannot operate normally as the immigrants are camped at their doorsteps. Continued free housing in these luxury hotels may drain the United States government of all the taxes that could have been used for more urgent issues affecting their residents and citizens.
Consequently, I find it unfair when immigrants start demanding free housing from the United States because feeding these people is not easy. Allowing illegal immigrants to dominate high-end
luxury hotels for free means they will rely on the government that provided houses for them to bring them free food. Now , help isn't bad , but when you come from a different country and someone is handing you out help but you refuse because it isn't “ good enough” is absurd in my opinion . Food has become extremely expensive, especially when it comes to ensuring they have three meals per day. Equally, there are more critical issues that the United States government should focus on other than focusing on immigrants who, in one way or another, cripple the economy with their unending demands. Providing free shelter, healthcare services, food, and education to illegal immigrants will leave no taxes that should attend to the needs of the taxpayers. Likewise, immigrants should not be allowed room to call for shots for such drastic decisions in a country that ultimately does not belong to them . Migrants should be allowed access to job opportunities so they can provide for themselves and refrain from being handed things freely. The sustainability and stability of any economy are rooted in the workforce they have who help contribute to their taxes through revenues and not illegal immigrants whose only agenda is to milk these taxes without thinking of how this can affect actual citizens of the United States.. Illegal immigrants who cannot provide for themselves should not be allowed to stay in the United States for long since they end up taking advantage of this kindness and getting too comfortable to the extent they start demanding necessities from the host (Spady, 2023). The States must be vigilant about the agreements they enter into with illegal immigrants before they start protesting, thinking they have the right to devastate the economy. Furthermore, giving them refuge does not make it their responsibility to always provide for them; it only buys them some time so they can get settled and get their life in order. If this is not well addressed, I see a future with overpopulated and disorganized cities where illegal immigrants camp in the middle of significant towns, paralyzing essential operations.
Darlene Mora , 26 yrs of age was asked , " How do you feel about people demanding help initially from you ? , how can the country help these migrants without affecting american citizens ?" " Listen I'm all for helping people like many people from queens , we are a neighborhood full of migrants , this situation becomes an issue when people start taking advantage of the help the city is trying to give these migrants , they should be grateful they are even getting any sort of assistance , their are American citizen that have been homeless for years , at this point they are getting more help then our own people . As far as how can we fix this issue , If these people are serious about working they should be given work permits in order for them to start providing for them selves"
Alima Ahmed , was questioned " Were are your parent originally from?" " My parents are orginaly from Pakistan" " Being that your parents are migrants , how do you feel about migrants demanding help ? do you feel biased in favor to them ? " Its very conflicting because ofcourse as human beings , who wouldnt want the easy way out ? I feel if I was in their position I myself would have taken the opportunity to stay at a free stay hotel , now that being said I would be very grateful for the help because I am aware that not every migrant that comes to this country is offered this kind of help. If I were asked to leave a luxury hotel to stay at not the best shelter home , yes I would be very upset because who does not want to be comftable ? In the end I would leave because a room in a luxury hotel does not belong to me " l
In all , the argument is not about not letting migrants have a chance of obtaining a better life in the United States , but more so that before migrants come to the United States there should have been a well thought out plan , instead of living off taxpayers. Starting over is never comfortable or easy , but with dedication and hard work , each migrant should be able to achieve a living for themselves.
Reference
Spady, A. (2023, January 31). Migrants remain camped in NYC street after nearly 48 hours to protest eviction from free stay at luxury hotel. Fox News.
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