This week the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York indicted Jimmy Solano-Arias, 42, an ex-security guard from the Bronx. FBI offices are out of his technical jurisdiction, but Mayor Eric Adams sympathized with the asylum seeker for experiencing a horrific situation.
The incident occurred on May 5, 2023. Solano-Arias is being charged with kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse for victimizing an asylum seeker in a locked office at a migrant processing center at 26 Federal Plaza. The Associated Press reported that Solano-Arias admitted to federal agents that the male asylum seeker performed oral sex on him but claimed it was consensual.
Solano-Arias lost his job after his arrest and is free on bail.
City immigration advocates claim that the federal offices at 26 Federal Plaza have been consistently problematic for asylum seekers. Executive Director of New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) Murad Awawdeh said the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of an asylum seeker is “morally reprehensible” on every level.
“Asylum seekers are forced to leave their home countries due to violence and persecution, often overcoming near-impossible conditions on their journeys to the Southern border and eventually to New York City. Yet, only to arrive in New York City to be traumatized inside a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) building by an armed security guard, is beyond deplorable,” said Awawdeh.
Awawdeh called on the federal and city governments to make sure the victim is given the proper mental health and social service support needed to move past this experience and for DHS to make sure all people are held accountable.
“This is what we’re saying to the federal government. We are reaching a point where we can no longer give people the basic care that they deserve and the dignity that they deserve and we are at a very dangerous level,” said Adams about the indictment at a Caribbean and ethnic media roundtable at City Hall on June 6. “I’m being really honest, I’m really surprised that we have not received, not witnessed more incidents.”
Adams said that given the volume of people spread out through multiple locations it’s a blessing that most asylum seekers have been largely patient, just eager to get to work, and few have reported instances of sexual assault or attacks for some 90,000 people. Although that might indicate an underreporting issue as opposed to true safety for asylum seekers and unhoused individuals living long-term in shelters.
There have been incidents of domestic violence and abuse, fights, and a handful of drug overdoses among asylum seekers, said Adams, that the city is trying to handle with more supportive and mental health services to help people cope with the stress of the situation.
Last year, there was also at least two known deaths in which a male and a female asylum seeker died by suicide in city shelters months apart.
“We have vetted our security agencies, created real strict standards, and a lot of the people who are hired were former asylum seekers and migrants,” said Adams about the city’s efforts to address safety. “One man [security officer at the Roosevelt Hotel] said that his mother went through the jungle to come here to America with her children. She was sexually assaulted, lived on the streets.”
Eventually, his mother was able to get a job and secure a spot for her children and now her son is in charge of asylum seekers at the Roosevelt Hotel, said Adams.
Deputy Mayor For Health & Human Services Anne Williams-Isom added that there’s security staff on the floors of the hotels to protect men, women, and children asylum seekers.
“I have a child welfare background so I know that people do bad things to children under certain circumstances,” said Williams-Isom. “This is why we’re ringing the bell. When we’re nervous about the standard of care we’re able to give.”
Adams said the city has been vigilant in vetting their security forces at hotels and emergency sites so far, but added that he’s not sure “how long that can hold.”
He is now turning to identify church basements and a warehouse at JFK airport to house asylum seekers, arguably harder to secure than a hotel or site, as he doubles down on the desperate cry for more state and federal aid. Additionally, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams embarked on a mission with a cohort to Washington DC this Tuesday to meet with New York Congress members and the White House.
Adams said that the city is not quite at the point of paying residents to house people or moving people to Rikers Island facilities, but it’s definitely a possibility. He floated the idea of building housing on Floyd Bennet field and even putting tents in the backyard of Gracie Mansion next.
“Nowhere is off the table,” said Adams, “We made it clear to every council person, state senator, and assembly person. Do not come to me and tell me where you don’t want a shelter.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.