Mayor Eric Adams and Coalition of 40 Leaders Call for Work Permits for Undocumented Migrants

Mayor Eric Adams and 39 other city and county leaders have intensified efforts to persuade President Joe Biden to extend work authorization to undocumented migrants. 

In a collective appeal made on Thursday, May 23rd, these officials urged the administration to provide “parole” status to both newly arrived and long-standing migrants, enabling them to seek employment in the United States legally.

Adams said, “New York City is living proof that ‘The American Dream Works’ — our city wouldn’t be the greatest city in the world without generations of immigrants who have rolled up their sleeves and worked to shape this city.” 

He continued, “But we know that the only way to make the American Dream work is if we let people work because work is the foundation of that dream.”

Adams expressed that the work permits will not only help migrants support their families and contribute economically but also prevent exploitation and alleviate the financial pressures on urban shelter systems.

Other mayors, including Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Michelle Wu of Boston, targeted the Department of Homeland Security with their statements, addressing the continuous influx of migrants severely burdening various localities.

Mayor Johnson said, “Chicago and Illinois are home to 320,000 undocumented Mexicans and Guatemalans, and 40,000 undocumented Haitians, Jamaicans, and Nigerians, and despite their lack of work authorization, they greatly contribute to our economies and neighborhoods.”

The Chicago mayor added, “We continue to urge the federal government to use every tool at its disposal to support undocumented residents and new arrivals by giving people the ability to work, support their families, and contribute to our communities.” 

The group’s proposal also includes specific recommendations, such as granting parole to undocumented spouses and parents of U.S. military members and introducing work permits for those who have been in the country for more than a decade. They also advocate for a targeted parole program for children ineligible for DACA.

Furthermore, the letter mentioned backing from 80 Congress members and substantial support from the American Business Immigration Coalition and labor groups like the United Auto Workers. 

Mayor Adams’s office in New York has also been proactive. Almost a year ago, it established an Asylum Application Help Center, which assisted migrants with 50,000 applications for work authorization, asylum, and Temporary Protected Status.

The coalition’s push reflects a growing consensus on the need to integrate long-term immigrants into the formal economy and society, recognizing their significant contributions and the injustices of their current status. 

“It is time we provided the security and opportunity they have long yearned for,” the leaders concluded in their letter, calling for decisive action to bring millions out of the shadows.