The New York government is considering a plan to loosen hiring qualifications for 4,000 jobs so that they can be filled by illegal immigrants who already have federal work permits.
Most of the jobs are “hard-to-recruit, entry-level titles” such as caring for people with mental and physical disabilities, building and ground maintenance, food service, automotive repair, and office aide, according to the memo, first reported by Bloomberg News.
In the memo, New York officials identified three barriers preventing illegal immigrants from getting those state jobs.
“First, many migrants and asylum seekers are unable to verify their educational attainment such as high school completion or equivalent education, which is required for some of these positions,” they wrote. “Second, some have limited English proficiency. Lastly, even if they have successful experience performing the work to be done, it may be difficult for agencies to verify previous employment outside the United States.”
To address these barriers, the Civil Service Department said it would create positions in “transitional” titles with requirements “more in line with the candidates’ qualifications.” In other words, illegal immigrants would be hired into the same positions while, at least temporarily, having the usual qualifications such as English proficiency, proof of education, and previous employment waived for them.
“Appointments to such positions would be temporary,” it added. “During that time, these individuals would obtain the required credentials for the ’target' titles.
NY Labor Department: 40,000 Jobs Openings for Illegal Immigrants
Last December, the New York Department of Labor said it has identified 39,456 private sector jobs open to illegal immigrants, although it does not know how many illegal immigrants have been hired.As part of an effort to move tens of thousands of illegal immigrants out of the government’s care and into independent living, the Labor Department was tasked in late August 2023 to study the type and number of job openings that could be filled by those with legal work status.
Four months later, some 1,016 businesses across the state have responded to the Labor Department, saying that they are willing to hire illegal immigrants with legal working papers. Businesses told the state the number of jobs they have available for those individuals, but are not required to reserve the positions for them.
The state does not keep track of who is hired, Beau Duffy, a spokesperson for the Labor Department, said in a statement to Spectrum News.
“There is no requirement for employers or asylum seekers to report back to us if they have hired an asylum seeker or become employed,” he told the outlet.
Facing both an illegal immigrant crisis and a workforce crisis, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wishes to solve them at the same time by “connecting work-eligible individuals with jobs and opportunity.”
“We have to manage the fact that there’s 125,000 people right now, up until tomorrow, that have not been eligible to work, and have relied on public support for housing,” Ms. Hochul said at an October 2023 press conference, referring to the illegal immigrants in NYC. ”That is not a sustainable dynamic. It is just not sustainable in the long term. But we’ve dealt with it. … I’m going to call on businesses to sign up even more.”
Biden Admin: Protected Status for Venezuelans
Ms. Hochul’s search for employment opportunities came as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last September granted citizens of Venezuela who entered the United States on or before July 31, 2023, temporary protected status (TPS) for 18 months. This change allows eligible Venezuelan nationals to apply for work authorization immediately and skip a waiting period that typically lasts six months.“It is critical that Venezuelans understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023, are not eligible for such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the designation announcement.
Nationwide, the TPS expansion is expected to affect as many as 472,000 Venezuelan nationals. According to the office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, an estimated 15,000 individuals living in the city’s shelters would qualify for TPS.
The decision to extend TPS to Venezuelans itself was reportedly the result of intense pressure from Mr. Adams and other New Yorkers, who wanted the federal government to step in and ease the burden on the city’s already overcrowded shelter system.
