Migrants selling fruit and candy in New York’s subway are plagued by fear and uncertainty

They’ve become a part of the fabric of New York City life, slipping in and out of subway cars and calling out to riders as they try to sell their wares, typically an assortment of candy bars and gum. On train platforms, they sell various fruits like mango and watermelon, cut up and divided into plastic cups. Often the candy and fruit vendors are migrant women, sometimes seen with their young children in tow.  

NBC News approached several women on subway platforms in Manhattan and Queens over the past year asking them to share the stories of their arrivals in the U.S. All refused out of fear that their children could be taken away or that they could face a steep fine. With help from Algun Dia, an outreach project specifically aimed at helping migrant vendors, NBC News was put in contact with a woman named Lorena who arrived in the U.S. last year with her husband and their 3-year-old daughter and has applied for asylum and work authorization. While she waits for that legal permission, she has been earning about $50 a day selling fruit while carrying her daughter on her back.