In New York City, migrant street vendors have become a familiar part of the urban landscape, moving between subway cars or setting up on train platforms, selling candy, gum, and cut-up fruit like mango and watermelon. Often these vendors are women, many with young children in tow. Despite their quiet presence, they live in fear of hefty fines or worse—having their children taken away.
Over the past year, NBC News approached several of these women, asking them to share their stories. Most refused out of fear of legal repercussions. With the help of Algun Dia, an outreach project that supports migrant vendors, NBC was able to connect with a woman named Lorena, who arrived in the U.S. last year with her husband and their 3-year-old daughter. Lorena has applied for asylum and work authorization, but while she waits, she earns about $50 a day selling fruit with her daughter strapped to her back.
“Where am I going to leave her?” Lorena explained in Spanish. “Sometimes she sleeps, and I carry her with a bedsheet tied around. I push the cart.” Selling food without a license in New York City is illegal and can result in a fine of $1,000 or more. The city’s Sanitation Department reported issuing over 3,000 summonses to unlicensed vendors this year. While licenses are available, they are limited, and the waitlist for permits is closed.
Despite knowing the risks, Lorena continues to sell fruit because she feels it’s her only option. Her journey to the U.S. was perilous, involving dangerous treks through jungles, encounters with thieves, and other hardships. Lorena even hid money in her daughter’s diapers to protect it from being stolen.
Through tears, Lorena expressed how much she sacrificed to give her daughter a better life. “I feel bad because she’s my only one. I had her at 37 years old by the grace of God, because I tried so many ways to have her,” she said.
New York City is currently housing more than 47,000 migrant families with children in shelters. Programs like Promise NYC aim to help by providing free child care for migrant families. Liza Schwartzwald, a senior policy strategist at the New York Immigration Coalition, noted that this program ensures migrant families receive the same child care support as other low-income families.
Algun Dia, which helps migrant vendors like Lorena, found that 84% of the individuals they surveyed were vending out of necessity due to a lack of child care. Hours after speaking with NBC News, Lorena was informed that her daughter had secured a spot in a local day care. “When I made the phone call to her, she started crying, like, ‘Why didn’t I know about this sooner?’” said Tiffany Hervas from Algun Dia.
“We exist to help these families find the support they need, to help them breathe and believe again, and to fulfill that American dream,” Hervas added.