Immigrant Sept. 11 cleanup crews seek residency as a reward

Immigrant workers who helped clean up buildings in lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 attacks have long asked for years to obtain legal status as a way to compensate for the work and subsequent health problems they suffered

NEW YORK -- Franklin Anchaua cleared thick layers of dust in offices, apartments and even in a chapel in lower Manhattan for weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. At first, he treated his heartburn and acid reflux with herbs his mother would send from Peru. He avoided available health programs because he lives illegally in the U.S. and feared deportation. Until the discomfort was too much. “It was awful. I needed medical treatment, a specialist. I also had breathing problems,” said Anchaua, 50, who sought care for the first time at Bellevue Hospital in 2011.