New NYC task force to push school on migrant kids selling food, drinks along roadways

The city has launched a new push to convince migrant kids to go to school instead of dangerously selling food and drink on the side of roadways.

A multi-agency task force quietly formed two months ago — consisting of staffers from the Administration for Children’s Services, Department of Education, and Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence — will now pivot to roadside outreach after The Post last week revealed how young migrant children were routinely peddling on major thoroughfares in southwest Queens.

The task force is currently focusing efforts at city shelters trying to convince migrant parents to send their kids to school.

The new NYC multi-agency task force is trying to convince migrant parents to send their kids — like this girl selling candy on the Columbus Circle C train platform in Manhattan — to school, J.C. Rice

A young boy sells fruit snacks on Cross Bay Boulevard in Queens near Belt Parkway. J.C. Rice

“I’m glad to see that the city is finally addressing this issue after nearly two years of us talking about it,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens). “I just hope that they don’t waste any additional time conducting unnecessary studies and focus groups before the task force actually hits the streets and starts making a difference.”

City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the task force will prioritize “children’s wellbeing and potential exploitation.”

“Their work includes making sure school-aged children are enrolled in schools, parents know about safe after-school programs available to kids, and childcare referrals — to community-based organizations that we partner with — are made whenever possible,” Mamelak said.

A young boy sells water on 81st Road and Woodhaven Boulevard in Glendale, Queens, near the Jackie Robinson Parkway.

A young migrant boy sells candy near the Cross Bay Boulevard entrance to the Belt Parkway in Howard Beach, Queens.

More than 185,000 migrants have arrived in Big Apple since spring 2022, and the city is caring for about 65,000.

The city has already spent about $3.5 billion dealing with its migrant crisis, and Mayor Eric Adams projects the price tag with soar to $12 billion by the end of fiscal year 2025.