By Melissa Goldin—
AP
Users on social media have misrepresented what happened Tuesday at New York City Hall Park, saying that the migrants there were demanding accommodation in luxury hotels instead of urban shelters.
The statement is false.
The reality is that they gathered peacefully in City Hall Park during a hearing on racial inequalities in the systems of shelter and support for those who have arrived in New York: they stayed in the park after it became clear that only the entrance to about 100 people.
The New York Police Department told the AP that no arrests were made. Attendees said they came to the protest for various reasons, such as supporting City Council members at the hearing or to see if they could get information about jobs and housing.
Many even shared videos from the meeting showing large groups of people calmly standing, milling around or waiting in line. Other images showed people cheering outside the building.
“Illegals have just invaded New York City Hall and surrounded it,” reads an X post that had been liked approximately 31,000 times and shared 20,000 times as of Wednesday. “They are trying to occupy the building and demand that illegals be provided with luxury hotel rooms instead of the shelters that New York City has provided. “This is only going to get worse.”
The description on a TikTok video showing people in line read: “TODAY IN BIDEN'S AMERICA… illegals in New York broke into City Hall because they are moving them to shelters and kicking them out of their luxury hotels.” It was viewed approximately 58,700 times.
But the gathering of more than 1,500 migrants, mostly from Guinea,
was peaceful and there was no indication they had flocked to City Hall to demand accommodation in luxury hotels.
The New York City Council's Immigration Committee held a hearing at City Hall on Tuesday about racial inequalities in the city's migrant shelter and support systems.
On the agenda for the day were relatively minor proposals. For example, a set of bills that would require administrators to collect better data on immigrants receiving city services, as well as a resolution for the federal government to eliminate or refund immigration application fees. Immigrants also testified about their own experiences.
Before the hearing, a press conference was held on the steps of City Hall. It featured speakers such as Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, president of the Immigration Committee, public defender Jumaane Williams and representatives of advocacy and support groups.
Emmet Terán, a spokesman for Avilés, told the AP that the groups represented at the conference invited migrants they work with to attend, although others who arrived early were also allowed to cross the security barriers. He added that another impromptu press conference was held for those who could not enter.
“It's disgusting, but it's not surprising that people say these things,” Terán said of the claims spreading online. “I think we were very clear in our message about the audience, about what we wanted to cover, which was the experiences of black immigrants in New York City.”
Terán described the crowd as “incredibly calm” and said people were understanding even though some were frustrated about having to wait in line or not being able to attend the hearing. They gathered at City Hall Park after realizing that only about 100 people would be allowed into the hearing. Many attendees said they had heard about the event by word of mouth, often through WhatsApp groups with other migrants.
An AP journalist present at the meeting noted that it was calm and orderly. When asked, they said they were largely concerned about obtaining authorization to work in the United States. Some also complained about the lack of access to
halal
food in the shelters. Others were worried about being evicted from shelters or had come to support City Council members.
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