Newly-arrived African migrants asked New Yorkers on Thursday to look beyond the harsh, rising criticism of asylum seekers and consider the real reason why they’ve come to America: freedom from persecution.
A group of Guinea migrants gathered in Midtown outside of the African nation’s embassy, at 3rd Avenue and East 39th Street, on Feb. 22 to raise awareness for the ongoing conflict and dangers ravaging their homeland.
Although they have very little to their names — and mainly survive on the streets of the Big Apple thanks to the generosity of others — the migrants told amNewYork Metro they are rallying to inform the public of the atrocities taking place in Guinea.
“That’s why we are here, to raise awareness, to let people know what’s going on. There is a lot of prosecution, people are being killed and arrested,” Thierno Soulayman said. “Their houses are being demolished for no reason.”
Soulayman, who has only been in America for three months, says he has felt hatred of some long-time residents firsthand. Still, despite not living an easy life stateside, he yearns for people to understand the hardships he escaped from — but not just for him, also for those left behind.
“We came here because we were persecuted in our country, we don’t feel safe. That’s the reality. It’s not like people trying to make stories, that’s the reality on the ground,” Soulayman said. “This problem is going to transfer from one generation to the next.”
Mustafa agreed with this statement. Leaving family behind in search of a better life, he took multiple planes to various countries before trekking over the Mexican border.
“It was scary, but when you are running for your life you don’t have a chance to be scared,” Mustafa said. “We are asking the US government to protect us. We are asking for protection because we fled from our country.”
Mustafa shared that he belonged to a political party in Guinea at which those in power sought retribution against. He described to horrific moment family and friends were taken.
“They started arresting people. They came around my area and arrested them,” Mustafa said. “I’m not saying everybody, but the majority are paying the heaviest price.”
For the dozen or so Guinea natives who gathered on Thursday, the message is clear: they are pleading for New Yorkers not to see them as freeloaders, but rather as people “yearning to breathe free.”
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