A hearing on the experiences of African migrants in New York City drew a crowd of more than 1,000 people Tuesday morning, some of whom were reportedly under the false assumption they would be getting work visas or green cards.
Video footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows throngs of people outside city hall, with many gathered at a park across the street.
City Council member Alexa Aviles, who serves as chair of the Committee on Immigration and organized the hearing, said it centered around the “experiences of Black immigrants.”
“We must uproot the anti-Blackness that plagues our system of care — this work requires dedication, creativity, and a city willing to fund our short, mid, and long-term needs,” Aviles said.
Aviles’ colleagues commended her for organizing the hearing. Council member Sandy Nurse, who represents the city’s 37th District, said the experiences of Black migrants is “very different than other groups and I’m proud that the Council is highlighting this disparity.”
Per reporting from The New York Post, dozens had been under the impression they’d receive work visas or green cards if they showed up. A source told the paper that the crowd was mostly comprised of newly arrived migrants from the West African nation of Guinea.
The hearing comes as an influx of illegal immigrants has put a strain on the city’s resources. Late last year, NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned that the city was reaching its “breaking point.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said the crowds who descended on City Hall Tuesday had a “sense of entitlement” spurred on by the mayor’s policies.
“Citizens of other countries believe that American citizens struggling to pay to keep a roof over their heads are responsible for housing them indefinitely,” she wrote on X.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is himself an immigrant, also weighed in. Commenting on a post pertaining to the NYC hearing, Musk qualified he was “in favor of legal immigration, being an immigrant myself, but allowing a flood of millions of unvetted people to enter the United States illegally is insane.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Aviles and Adams for additional comment.
