Mexican Density within NYC
This map, provided by Joe Salvo and the Dept. Of City Planning, shows that Mexican immigrants tend to settle in communities in all five boroughs. Some of these communities include Sunnyside, Astoria, Jackson Heights, Woodside (Queens); Sunset Park, Bushwick (Brooklyn); Washington Heights, Harlem (Manhattan); areas of South Bronx, and Northern Staten Island.
Mexican grocery store in Spanish Harlem
A new restaurant opening to suit the current cultural presence in Washington Heights, Manhattan
What Makes this city so attractive to immigrants past and present?
A currently large presence of Mexican Immigrants offer safety in numbers and a way to stay in touch with familiar culture in an unfamiliar setting. There are plentiful jobs available in many service industries which Mexican immigrants take advantage of.
New York City relies heavily on service based industries to keep the city safe, its people happy and healthy, and services reliable. Here are a few of these positions:
Major Occupations that New York offers to Immigrants which always are plentiful. The promise of jobs brought many Mexicans to New York City.
“It sounds strange, but by the time I came to New York in the 1990s, once you got past the bust station or the airport, you really didn’t worry anymore…Older guys who were here in the 1970s told us that in those days, the place was crawling with immigration agents and they would raid your apartment, your workplace, the movie house. They’d hear about a fiesta and come around and bust it. They would pick you up on the street just for looking Mexican. But by the time I go to New York, the place was crawling with Mexicans and Central Americans, and it was clear that the migra had pretty much given up on the whole deal.”
– Luis (Taken from The World of Mexican Migrants by Judith Hellman)
Mayor Bloomberg (Source: International Business Times)
Mayor Bloomberg stated: “Our general policy in this area protects the confidentiality of law-abiding immigrants, regardless of their status, when they report a crime or visit a hospital or send their children to school”.
The strength in numbers and the amnesty towards immigrants gives New York City a somewhat safe and friendly environment towards illegal immigrants who fear deportation and are on the search for a steady source of income to support themselves and the loved ones back home.
