Danyela Souza Egorov, the vice president of the Community Education Council for New York City School District 2, recently testified before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary. In her testimony, Egorov expressed her concerns about the increased number of illegal immigrants being allowed into New York City.
Egorov made several key points during her testimony: "Legal immigration has made New York one of the best cities in the world," she stated. She then added, "The current crisis of open borders and no policy to prioritize who should be allowed to enter our country is threatening NYC." Lastly, she emphasized that "New Yorkers feel abandoned by our Mayor, by our Governor, and by our City Comptroller."
According to her testimony before the Committee on the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Egorov immigrated to the United States from Brazil in 2003. Her husband, also an immigrant, moved to the United States from Ukraine in 1998. During a hearing titled "The Impact of Illegal Immigration on Social Services," Egorov said: "I am here today to share my experience as an immigrant and a New Yorker who is deeply concerned about the impact of our open borders in the city that I now call home."
A recent post by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) clarified that according to U.S. immigration laws, "most noncitizens coming to our border are not eligible to remain in the United States. Asylum laws do not provide for relief solely for economic reasons or for general violence."
In her testimony, Egorov explained that her husband’s grandparents were war refugees from Ukraine who legally immigrated to New York after conflict erupted in their homeland. She noted they spent several months waiting for a U.N. refugee travel document and a U.S. entry permit while undergoing vetting procedures. Citing information from the official website of New York City, Egorov said that 161,000 migrants have entered New York City since spring 2023, many of whom would not qualify for asylum, while many legitimate refugees are waiting to enter the country. She expressed her confusion as to why "our country is allowing and even encouraging economic migrants to enter the US without any vetting process while failing to accept actual war refugees who are in a similar situation like my husband’s Ukrainian grandparents were."
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recently highlighted public education as another major concern for New York City. He stated on his office's website: "The city estimates that approximately 30,000 children of migrants and asylum seekers are enrolled in city schools during the 2023-24 school year, including 12,000 since June 30, 2023. DOE spent $22 million on initiatives related to these students in FY 2023 despite not having budgeted for such costs. There are no budgeted costs for spending on these students in FY 2024 either. Fair Student Funding allocations alone for these students are likely to exceed $125 million in FY 2024."
A study by the Journal of Nursing revealed that the migrants themselves, particularly women and children, suffer immensely during their journeys to the United States. The study noted that women and children are frequently trafficked by "coyotes" or "smugglers", and women often face assault, rape, and violence.
During her testimony, Egorov touched upon both these issues - the cost of educating migrant children and the health hazards faced by incoming immigrants attending public schools. Referring to the Journal of Nursing study, she commented on the "unimaginable horrors'' experienced by immigrants during their journey. Egorov voiced her concerns about what seems like an endless issue as asylum applications continue to be delayed: "New Yorkers want to know what the plan is for the 161,000 migrants that arrived in our city. If migrants are receiving letters with an appointment to process their asylum claim in 10 years, will NY taxpayers pay for hotel rooms and shelters for the next 10 years?"
According to the congressional hearing page, Egorov is a legal immigrant and resident of New York City. She serves as the vice president of the Community Education Council for New York City School District 2 in Manhattan and as the project director for ParentPowered New York. She holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard.
