Insight

We are failing asylum seekers miserably

Asylum seekers

“The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text of the article below belong solely to the author of the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of Covenant House International. These articles are shared with the purpose of being informative and thought provoking.”

This week Covenant House New York’s Executive Director, Julie Farber, wrote an op-ed titled “We are failing asylum seekers miserably,” for the Daily News. In it, Julie discussings the ongoing migration crisis in New York City. She expresses the stance we all share at Covenant House: that all people experiencing homelessness are human beings deserving of a safe place to sleep. Especially for the young migrants who have found shelter at Covenant House New York, we ask that all our community members see all youth experiencing homelessness not as statistics, but as people who are as deserving of unconditional love and absolute respect as any other member of our community.

As Julie puts it, “As the political battle continues between governors and leaders of sanctuary cities like New York City, these migrants — including young adults like those we serve at Covenant House — are here now and caught in the crossfire. They need both immediate life essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as assistance with longer-term legal needs.” The needs of these young people do not stop because they feature prominently in the news, and at Covenant House, it will always be our priority to meet the needs of every young person that walks through our doors, regardless of the surrounding political circumstances.

If you’d like to read more, you can find the rest of the op-ed linked here.

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