for NPR: The U.S. admitted thousands of Venezuelan migrants. Many are now stuck in legal limbo. by José A. Alvarado Jr.

News

for NPR: The U.S. admitted thousands of Venezuelan migrants. Many are now stuck in legal limbo.

josé a. alvarado jr.

Nov 4, 2022

Location: New York City

Summary

José Albornoz has only been in the U.S. for a few weeks, but things have been happening fast.

He's already traveled across the country twice, landing in Montana, where a friend got him a job in construction. And he's learned a few things about the immigration system along the way.

"I'm undocumented," he says in Spanish, "but I'm not illegal."

The 40-year-old Venezuelan crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in September near Eagle Pass, Texas on foot and with few possessions: His passport, a cellphone and a change of clothes. He turned himself in to the United States Border Patrol, and was released into the U.S. a few days later.

Albornoz doesn't have a work permit. But he does have permission to be in the U.S. temporarily, which protects him from deportation.

Photographed for NPR, with words by Joel Rose and Marisa Peñaloza.

The U.S. admitted thousands of Venezuelan migrants. Many are now stuck in legal limbo
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants have been released into the U.S. Now many are stuck in a complicated legal limbo: They're legally present for now, but unable to work lawfully.
Npr.org

567

José A. Alvarado Jr.

Also by José A. Alvarado Jr. —

for NPR: See how the Trump indictment day unfolded

for NPR: What Trump's arraignment means for his 2024 election bid

for Gothamist: Delivery workers say latest NYC e-bike safety bills don't give enough support

for Gothamist: Garifunas in NYC celebrate heritage month as they continue decadeslong quest for recognition

for Gothamist: 'A beacon of hope': 3 years after COVID-19 devastated Queens, Corona Plaza becomes bustling market

for The New York Times: Inside a Brooklyn School Teaching the Course That Florida Banned

for The New York Times: U.S. and Canada Reach an Agreement on Diverting Asylum Seekers

for Gothamist: Monster Track - An adrenaline-filled, unsanctioned bike race through Manhattan's streets

for Gothamist: These playwrights turned their Downtown Brooklyn apartment into a ‘decked out’ theater

for The New York Times: ‘Frankenstein’ Apartments and Crippled Libraries: Is This New York City’s Future?

for The New York Times: Texas Sent Busloads of Migrants to New York. Now the City Is Paying for Tickets to Canada.

for Gothamist: Holdout tenant in $1,500 West Village apartment fears demolition of historic townhouse

for The Wall Street Journal: Juvenile Crime Surges, Reversing Long Decline. ‘It’s Just Kids Killing Kids.’

for The New York Times: New York State Convicted Him. Now It’s Made Him a Weed Pioneer.

for Gothamist: Meet the Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants

for The New York Times: Veterans Trickle Through a Special New York Court Known Only to a Few

for The New York Times: How a Celebrity Auctioneer Spends His Sundays

for The New York Times: Inside the Fight to Pay Food Delivery Workers $23 an Hour

for Gothamist: 'A part of history': NYC's first legal weed store is open for business

for The New York Times: Representative Nicole Malliotakis's win in Staten Island

for The New York Times: Malliotakis Defends N.Y.C. House Seat, Toppling Familiar Democratic Foe

for The New York Times: N.Y.C. House Incumbents Coast to Victory, as Other Races Hang in Balance

for The New York Times: Scenes From Election Day

for Chalkbeat: Hurricane Sandy 10 years later: Educators and parents reflect on how the storm shaped them.