via NYP:
Thousands of migrants who flocked to the Big Apple from the US border are making ends meet by working in the illegal underground gig economy — while enjoying the benefits of being shacked up at taxpayer-funded hotels and shelters.
The Post spoke with 36 migrants over a five-day period, of which 65% said they were already taking off-the-books jobs in food service and delivery, construction or housekeeping — while city officials generally look the other way, The Post has learned.
Only roughly 800 of the 40,000 adult migrants housed in the five boroughs have filed for federal work permits and of all those The Post spoke to, only one person had applied.
“They are taking jobs from other immigrants,” said Francisco Mata, president of the NY Bodega and Small Business Association. “I’m hearing a lot of complaints from regular citizens, people with papers. It’s getting tough.”
For the newly arriving migrants — about 60,000 of whom are still living on the city dime — the illegal gigs are a no-brainer alternative to the laborious, pricey and yearslong process of officially applying for asylum, a prerequisite to qualifying for legal work.
“We’re looking for anyone to hire us that won’t ask for papers,” Senegalese migrant Mustafa Mdiaye, 23, said outside an emergency shelter in Harlem. “We’re looking. We don’t know where.”
But the illegal gigs produce no payroll taxes nor other benefits to ease the burden on the city, while taxpayers shell out an astounding $40,000 per migrant, data analysed by The Post revealed last week.
NYC to cut overtime pay for police despite being understaffed by ‘thousands’
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has informed the city’s police, fire, corrections and sanitation departments that they must submit an overtime pay reduction plan and begin tracking progress each month, according to a memo obtained by the New York Post. Police unions say the plan will reduce the number of cops on patrol and make the city more dangerous.
“It is going to be impossible for the NYPD to significantly reduce overtime unless it fixes its staffing crisis. We are still thousands of cops short, and we’re struggling to drive crime back to pre-2020 levels without adequate personnel,” Patrick Hendry, head of the Police Benevolent Association, told the Post.
“If City Hall wants to save money without jeopardizing public safety, it needs to invest in keeping experienced cops on the job,” he added.