Unemployment among Hispanic immigrants has doubled in the U.S., going from 4.8 percent in January 2020 to 8.8 percent in February 2021, according to the Migration Policy Institute. These numbers don’t take into consideration immigration status but activists and social workers in states like New York or California say more vulnerable immigrants, whom often don’t qualify for aid, are finding themselves without a home.
“I have seen an increase of encampments of immigrants experiencing homelessness in Queens. Each has five or six tents,” said Yessenia Benitez, a 30-year-old licensed clinical social worker who helps these groups.
“Right now, they are adapting by collecting bottles but they are working folks. They want to contribute to society. And before the pandemic, they were contributing to society, some of them were paying taxes,” said Benitez.