ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
As the heat of summer winds down, NPR's Jasmine Garsd has been out in the parks of New York City, interviewing people. She met one young man starting a gig who is not feeling at all confident.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in Spanish).
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: When we met, Luis Beltran was standing in the crowd, looking a little shell-shocked, holding an ice cream.
LUIS BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "People in the city can be so rude," he said. We're in the middle of one of the largest parks in New York City, Flushing Meadows. Thousands come here every weekend. Today there's live music, a ton of food vendors yelling at the top of their lungs, which is what Beltran was trying to do for the first time - sell ice cream. But when he got here, he froze - no pun intended. The thing is Beltran is very shy.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "I've always been shy, especially around women." He laughs and looks down. Beltran is 23 years old. He's short and stocky, a handsome guy. He's originally from Ecuador. He left home about a year ago. He paid a coyote, a guide, to bring him up Central America and Mexico all the way to the U.S. border. Beltran paid that guy about $20,000.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: (Speaking Spanish).
This is not an uncommon fee for that journey. Migrants often sell everything they own and get deep in debt to make the trek north.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "Coming to the U.S. is expensive," he says, "and so is staying here." Beltran is among the over 200,000 migrants who've arrived in New York City since 2022, according to local government. Although he is in the immigration system, he doesn't have a work authorization, which is a problem because he owes money to that coyote who knows where his family lives. La deuda, the debt, is a frequent topic of conversation among recently arrived immigrant communities.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "I think about how to pay la deuda," he says. He got a job in construction. And then one day, he picked up the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: It teaches how to take more risks, be more open, be more of a businessman, challenge yourself. Beltran finished the book and decided to come to the park and sell ice cream, specifically helados de salcedo, an Ecuadorian-style popsicle. But then he got here, and he got nervous...
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: ...Which is why, when we met, he was just standing here quietly, a now-dripping ice cream cone in hand as if holding a white surrender flag. He says he was thinking about his aunt, how they used to sell flowers on the street. And she told him, Luis, you can't afford to be shy.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: And so he says this morning he came up with this mantra.
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: Send money to cancel the debt. Cancel the debt. Cancel the debt. Keep going. Keep fighting. His eyes light up a little. He takes a deep breath, and he yells...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "Helados de salcedo" - salcedo ice cream.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BELTRAN: (Speaking Spanish).
GARSD: "Don't hesitate to get yours," he shouts, smiling for the first time since we met. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, Queens.
(SOUNDBITE OF RIKARD FROM'S "LET ME TAKE YOU FOR A WALK") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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