Over 1,000 African Migrants Descend on New York City Hall to Protest ‘Anti-Blackness’ and Ask for Help to Get Work Permits

Over 1,000 migrants gathered outside NYC City Hall on Tuesday ahead of a City Council oversight hearing focused on the experience of black arrivals.

The majority of participants were from Haiti and Guinea, West Africa, seeking more aid, better shelters and work permits, according to reports.

Only 250 people were allowed access to the hearing at 10, but several hundred flocked to the park across the street.

Videos circulating on social media show the crowd singing and cheering.

Some people were allegedly encouraged to attend under the false pretense that they would receive green cards and work visas and were led to City Hall by an activist group, a source told the New York Post.

A majority of the immigrants are reportedly from Haiti and Africa looking for more ‘help and the ability to work’

City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, who serves as chair of the Committee on Immigration, organized the hearing to feature testimony from undocumented African immigrants in the city’s shelters.

“Today’s hearing centers on the experiences of black immigrants in NYC and has appeared to over 1,000 people,” Avilés said in a post on X.

‘We must undo the anti-blackness that plagues our care systems – this work requires dedication, creativity and a city willing to fund our short, medium and long term needs.’

The crowd allegedly gathered under the false pretense that they would receive green cards and work visas

Before listening to testimony, committee members heard from activists whose work focuses on providing services to African migrants

A bill to survey newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers to collect data on their skills, economic prospects and barriers to employment growth is expected to be tabled at the hearing

A news release obtained by the New York Post said the City Council’s immigration and hospital committees held the joint hearing to “understand how the (Adams) administration is addressing language access barriers, cultural competency challenges, health care needs and other roadblocks” immigrants face.

The release said that before listening to testimony, committee members heard from activists whose work focuses on providing services to African migrants, The New York Post reported.

A bill was also expected to be introduced at the hearing that would require the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), to survey newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers to collect data on their skills, economic prospects and barriers to growth in employment.

“Black migrants, who are disproportionately harmed by all aspects of our immigration system, deserve linguistic justice, dignity and access to services,” Brad Lander’s New York City office wrote in a post on X.

City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, who serves as chair of the Committee on Immigration, organized the hearing to feature testimony from undocumented African immigrants in the city’s shelters.

“Thank you @CMAlexaAviles and @CMMercedesCD46 for holding this critical hearing – we need justice and anti-racism in everything we do.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been highly critical of the Biden administration and the influx of immigrants into sanctuary cities, referring to the problem as “one of the biggest humanitarian crises this city has ever seen.”

The city has taken in more than 175,000 migrants and currently holds about 67,500, limiting them to 30-day stays in a shelter to ease overflow.

DailyMail.com has previously reported on migrant programs collapsing as a result of racial tensions between asylum seekers from Latin America and Africa.

Adams has estimated that the city will spend $12 billion over the next three years to deal with the influx, set up large emergency shelters, rent out hotels and provide various public services to migrants.