Venezuelan migrants in New York City are now piling into vans heading to Florida to help with cleanup after Hurricane Ian destroyed parts of the state.
According to the New York Post, the migrants boarded the vans in Queens over the weekend with little information about who they would be working for. One migrant told the outlet that a woman named Camila “from an organization” approached him with a flier.
“They want us for hurricane cleanup, we’d get paid $15 an hour, overtime and $15 for food daily, I think,” Javier Moreno said. “I’m going for the work. It’s been hard for us migrants to find work here in New York, that’s why a lot of us are going. How’s the work in Florida?”
On Saturday the driver of one of the vans told the New York Post that he is under contract with a water and debris company to take the migrants directly to Florida.
“I’m taking these people in the van straight to Florida tonight,” the driver said. “I don’t know how many people have left or how many more vans are coming.”
By Sunday morning, several migrants were at the designated pickup spot to catch a ride to Florida. Some learned about the trip through group chats and others say ‘Camila’ had told them about the opportunity.
One asylum seeker says about 100 people had left a men’s shelter in Manhattan to take advantage of the work offer.
Both FEMA and Mayor Eric Adams denied any involvement in the transport of migrants.
The news comes weeks after Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) flew migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies. DeSantis claims the migrants were heading to Florida.
