City investigators in Queens, NY discovered around 74 illegal immigrants living in cramped conditions in the basement of a furniture store.
The migrants, mostly from Senegal, reportedly had to sleep in shifts due to the limited space.
The discovery was made when the New York Fire Department (FDNY) entered the store after witnessing improperly stored e-bike batteries.
More than 80 migrants — most from Senegal — discovered living in cramped NYC basement where they sleep in shifts https://t.co/MuE5EfXW7i pic.twitter.com/BxarEbsfZB
— New York Post (@nypost) February 27, 2024
Upon investigation, authorities found 14 bunk beds on the first floor and 13 more in the basement, which had no ventilation, exits, light, or legal plumbing.
The FDNY said, “A further probe revealed that up to 80 individuals have been living there, taking turns to sleep due to the limited space available.”
The store’s owner, Ebou Sarr, a 47-year-old Senegalese man, admitted to charging $300/month per bed but claimed it was a “donation” as he often took less if they couldn’t afford it.
Sarr said, “They don’t even have relatives here, nowhere to go, sleeping on the trains and the streets. So we have to intervene.”
“I am helping the guys,” he continued.
Sarr said, “I’m giving them somewhere to stay. Some of the guys who heard about me, they weren’t even going to the shelter. They were coming straight to me.”
He characterized it as charity for migrants with nowhere to go, but had previously been busted for running illegal shelters.
Malick Ndiaye, said, “Here you don’t have problems.”
“In the shelter, every month you have to go back to Manhattan … and they send you to another place. This takes time – 10 days, 20 days,” Ndiaye continued.
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