9/11

Undocumented immigrants: The invisible victims of 9/11

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memorialflagsThe undocumented immigrants impacted by the bombing of the World Trade Center were practically invisible to the government and agencies that were supposed to help them, two academics reported Tuesday.

The victims and their families were never properly counted because of their social and political isolation from wider society:

  • Immigrants without papers distrusted law enforcement and were wary of drawing attention to themselves.
  • Even if they did come forward, they lacked the paperwork necessary to prove claims and receive assistance.
  • Public opinion linking immigration and terrorism after 9/11 exacerbated the risks of coming out of the MIGRA closet.

Study authors Alexandra Délano and Benjamin Nienass explain:

Mas…Undocumented immigrants: The invisible victims of 9/11

9/11 ‘worst day ever’ for Alberto Qaeda of the Bronx

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alberto_qaedalarge(PNS reporting from EL BRONX) Almost every adult American remembers where they were on Sept. 11, 2001, but few remember more vividly than Bronx janitor Alberto Qaeda.

“That was the first time I ever got my ass kicked.  And the second time.  And the third,” recalls Qaeda, who used to go by the more informal name of “Al.”

Qaeda (photo), who was 17 in 2001, was a student at City College of New York studying to be a cashier when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center.

Mas…9/11 ‘worst day ever’ for Alberto Qaeda of the Bronx