As FEMA attempts to help the tens of thousands of east coast residents affected by Hurricane Sandy, undocumented immigrants cannot apply for funding.
FEMA reports 236,000 New Yorkers have requested relief in the wake of the storm, however cash assistance for home repairs are only available to US citizens.
There are over 11 million immigrants who live in the US without documentation.
According to FEMA officials, some funds have been allocated to undocumented immigrants, but only those who have US born children or relatives are eligible.
Read More: Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc - total cost of damage over $71 billion
Jackie Vimo, the director of advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition has requested that Mayor Bloomberg’s office to set aside some of the Sandy fund the city has raised for undocumented immigrants
"Many are without housing currently and are double, triple living in crowded conditions with relatives and really stretching family resources," Vimo said.
"In terms of long-term recovery, the fact that there is no specific plan is extremely challenging, and it's something we are working on."
In Rockaways, one of the worst affected areas hit by the superstorm, community organizer Dahlia Goldenberg of Queens Congregations United for Action said many undocumented immigrants have been out of work since the storm struck.
"There are families where two out of three adults in the household have been out of work since the storm, and they don’t have the money to fix the boiler and can't get help from FEMA for that," Goldenberg said. "They have no plans for what to do when it gets colder,” Goldenberg told Metro US.
She added, "They’re big contributors to our city, so they should be getting help just like everybody else."
Queens Councilman Daniel Dromm, head of the City Council Committee on Immigration, says FEMA has not informed undocumented immigrants, what is available to them.
"On signs that FEMA posted, it says you need a social security number right off the bat," Dromm said.
"There are some things [undocumented workers] are eligible for, but those signs are very, very misleading."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.anglo-norman | Dec 03, 2012, 05:57 PM EST
Illegals are killing this country
Renelda M. | Dec 03, 2012, 05:36 PM EST
Euphemistically speaking, "undocumented" translates to ILLEGAL. Goldberg, I presume, is Jewish . She says these ilegal aliens have contributed greatly to the City.Yes, as chep docile labor with no recourse aginst their self-imposed slavery. And whether Mexican or Irish, pr pther the ILLEGALS are America's (neo-colonial) new slaves. The only way these illegals who flagrantly disrespect our lws are contributing greatly is therough their cheap, unprotecvted labor, they allow the middle class to feel like they are upper class having several slaves working in their homes and their businesses. This is a travesty. This the neo-colonialist America. I don't cotton to it.
gobdawpaddy | Dec 03, 2012, 02:02 PM EST
I also agree with Italiangirl. Why should US taxpayers pay anything to people who are here illegally?
Smyrnian | Dec 03, 2012, 12:18 PM EST
IC would never use the illegal word! Heaven forbid. That's like Expecting IC to not use the word Savita or Hilary or Clinton or Christine Quinn. Impossible. They would choke on it!
seamus60 | Dec 03, 2012, 05:56 AM EST
Would the undocumented even want to go down this road that will no doubt document them and as a result open up a can of worms for them. Possably time for an amnesty to include those not effected by the devastation. After all many of these people will have been in the USA a long time and only coming to the attention of the authorities via this could deem them pretty good candidates for citizanship prepared to pay their dues.
anglo-norman | Dec 02, 2012, 09:19 PM EST
italiangirl- Well said. illegal is illegal at the end of the day.
Seanmor | Dec 02, 2012, 07:43 PM EST
daraindc: Your point is weell taken. But you seem to lump young, healthy, English-speaking foreigners who LEGALLY entered the U.S. (and qickly assimilate) but overstayed the expiration of their visas with those who UNLAWFULLY entered the country, speak little or no English, need FREE health care and other government assistance and in many cases, show no inclination to assilate.
saraindc | Dec 02, 2012, 02:59 PM EST
and herein lies the problem - if you are illegal then you can't expect to get the same services and support as your legal neighbors - thats the price people are paying for overstaying their visas - the reality is when things are good they couldnt care less about being illegal but when something goes wrong is when it comes home to roost why staying illegally in the USA is NOT the right thing to do. Nobody wants anyone to suffer but everyone is just sick and tired of this whole illegal issue - people who overstay visas have to be treated differently to those who come legally and follow the rules, otherwise this situation gets even worse than it already is - if they want to fix it, order everyone illegal to go home and apply the right way, if they paid taxes they have a better chance of a work permit to come back and that means they start from scratch, you dont get a greencard for cheating the system when everyone else had to do it right to begin with!
Pbstein33 | Dec 02, 2012, 02:12 PM EST
This Story Possitively Breaks My Heart. I Think NOT
bob40wil | Dec 02, 2012, 01:58 PM EST
Undocumented is just PC for illegal.
mreinhar2001 | Dec 02, 2012, 11:40 AM EST
According to an Irish Central article from earlier this week, they COULD receive a federal taxpayer abortion if they wanted, though.
italiangirl | Dec 02, 2012, 11:25 AM EST
If you are an undocumented immigrant in any country. I do not think that you should not get any aid at all.Go back to your own country then try to come back into whatever country you are trying to get into legally. You are a drain on my country and any other country that you are attempting to enter. My parents were Italians that came from Florence,Italy to enjoy the American dream-LEGALLY.