Undocumented immigrants complain about receiving bad food in New York shelters

The high demand for shelter that prevails in New York is straining the finances of local authorities to deal with the problem.

Photo: Mario Tama/ / Getty Images

A big number Undocumented immigrants who remain in shelters set up by the New York authorities or in hotels where they are given a roof, complain about the poor quality of food received for free.

For his part, Mayor Eric Adams reiterates that his administration is doing its best to offer people a healthy and even balanced meal, even if it means spending millions of dollars.

Since last year, the city has been sheltering thousands of undocumented immigrants sent by bus from the southern border and even from Miami.

This implies allocating millions of dollars in resources to pay various hotels in such a way that no one is left homeless. Nevertheless, Far from solving the problem, it seems to increase day by day, as new immigrants do not stop arriving in the “City of Iron”.

The controversy about food arises above all from mothers who complain about the poor quality of the food.

“Sometimes the food smells bad. It’s rotten. And every time the children eat, it’s as if they had food poisoning,” said Diana, a mother of two children who, after several days staying at a hotel set up as a shelter, agreed to an interview with the Telemundo network.

For her part, Rosalina, who was placed in another shelter, maintains that due to the food provided by the government, one of her children has already become ill.

In the meantime, Pediatrician Kendall Rao, who cares for several children in the temporary shelters, issued a statement warning of emerging gastrointestinal problems.

“Among the pediatric asylum-seeking patients that I have been seeing, there has been an increase in the number of children reporting gastrointestinal problems such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Many of these young children seem to be having a hard time adjusting to food. It appears to be causing a shock to their developing digestive systems,” the letter states.

🧵@nyccouncil held a Committee of the Whole oversight hearing on 12/19 to examine the City’s response & delivery of services to our newly arrived migrants. I highlighted that children in my district’s shelters reported feeling sick from meals provided by a well-known food vendor. pic.twitter.com/HuJAiqKtC8

— Council Member Julie Won (@CMJulieWon) December 20, 2022

In this sense, Julie Won, a city councilwoman who chairs the Contracts Committee, revealed that several of the hotels are being paid less than $4 so that the people they house receive three rations of food a day.

“Can you imagine what that means? If it’s $3.44 for three meals, what does that mean per plate? Does it cost $1 dollar and some cents? Can you imagine what the edibles must be to create such a meal? What are you eating? What are you feeding people? ”, She recently questioned several media outlets while warning that a hearing on the subject is planned.

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