Inside New York's migrant crisis: A father smiles to hold back tears as he looks for help that's costing the city billions

Jean Carlos Marin-Espinoza has a smile as bright as the lights of New York City. Standing on a corner in midtown Manhattan, he talks about the generosity shown so far to him and his family - a hotel room, food and clothes.

He tells CNN he and his wife fled Venezuela to escape the poverty, violence and crime that is rife under the repressive regime of President Nicolas Maduro and says he is happy to feel safer and freer.

But then his grin fades. "You have to smile so you don't cry," he said. "Because if you (cry), then you get desperate."

He is one of thousands of asylum seekers from all over the world to arrive in New York City this summer, straining local resources and becoming a visible sign of the humanitarian influx, many hundreds of miles away at the southern border. Some of those seen chatting on the streets during the day have been bussed up from Texas and some have arrived on their own but, under a local mandate, the city must offer shelter to all.

That's how Marin-Espinoza and his family got a room at the Roosevelt Hotel. And it's through the city's assistance that they have been eating and getting new clothes to replace all the belongings he said they lost crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. The king-size bed, TV and air-conditioning they now enjoy are a far cry from the conditions they faced in the month they spent getting to the United States, when they slept when they could and were hungry most of the time. "Here, with the food that they've given me, I've fattened up a bit," the still slight Marin-Espinoza said. "Before, I was very skinny."

Mayor Eric Adams has said the cost of the migrant crisis could "destroy" New York unless there is more state and federal help. Marin-Espinoza demurs when asked his view on the broader political situation, focusing on immediate needs. He has no home, his one-year-old is sick and he wants to get a job to provide for his family.

"It's good but what I want the most is a job," he says, wearing a donated ball cap and a "I'm an NYC Vax Champ" t-shirt that harken back to the city's Covid crisis. "With your own job, you can make your own money."