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[1] They've become part of the fabric of New York City life, slipping in and out of subway cars, calling for anyone to buy what they're selling.
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[2] The candy vendors on trains and fruit vendors on the platforms are typically migrant women, often seen with their young children in tow. At times, the children themselves are also seen selling goods.
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[3] Lorena is one of them. She is currently seeking asylum in the U.S. after arriving with her husband and three-year-old daughter last year.
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[4] The family's harrowing journey from their native Ecuador took them through a dangerous jungle, where she says they encountered thieves with machine guns, human bodies along the trail, and snakes.
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[5] Lorena describes a moment when she hid money inside her daughter's diapers so it wouldn't be stolen. But she says the family persevered, hoping to give their only child a better life.
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[6] Arriving in the concrete jungle meant looking for ways to earn money while applying and waiting for work authorization. She's selling fresh fruit and water, finding it more profitable than candy.
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[7] Though the city says unlicensed food vending is illegal, first violations can result in a fine of $1,000, according to City Hall.
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[8] That's why many of these women refuse to share their stories publicly out of fear. Lorena agreed to speak to us but did not want to be filmed while working.
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[9] Another challenge, her husband works day labor jobs, leaving her no choice, she says, but to bring her daughter along.
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[10] It's an issue other cities that have seen an influx of migrants are sorting through, in places like Chicago and Denver. New York City officials say they currently have more than 47,000 migrant families with children staying in the shelter system.
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[11] New York City is working to ease the burden by providing child care through the program Promise NYC.
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[12] "It provides the same kind of child care support that other low-income families in New York City get, for children who do not qualify for that program because of their immigration status."
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[13] A survey conducted by Algún Dia, an outreach project specifically aimed at helping the migrant vendors, found that the need stretches across many families.
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[14] "We found that 84% of the individuals that we had surveyed were vending out of necessity, and they were doing so because of their lack of child care. Like, where are they going to leave their kids?"
