In Times Square, a 12-foot-tall Syrian 'immigrant' named Little Amal receives a warm welcome

Immigrants to the United States haven’t particularly been welcomed lately.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seized headlines last week when he flew migrants who had recently arrived in Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. The move recalled Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sending buses of migrants to Washington, D.C. and New York City.

But here in New York, a 10-year-old Syrian girl is getting a different reception.

Her name is Little Amal — and she’s a 12-foot puppet, who’s supposed to represent a refugee looking for her mother. Her name, Amal, means "hope" in Arabic.

A group of English theater and film directors and producers came up with the idea for Amal as a way to put a human face on the global refugee crisis. The puppet traversed Europe last year, journeying some 5,000 miles from the Syrian-Turkish border to Manchester, England. Her trip to New York, which started with her arrival at JFK Airport on Sept. 14, will continue through Oct. 2.

Read more about Amal and her New York City visit on Gothamist.