Illegal Mopeds and Fake Names: Migrants Scrape By in Underground Economy

Mr. Milano said he needs the work, no matter the conditions. In Caracas, he was a motorcycle taxi driver, and his wife, Yohelin Nazaret, 31, managed a clothing store. “Things fell into chaos, we lost our jobs,” she said. “We were scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

To pay for the three-month journey with their children, ages 5, 10, and 13, Mr. Milano borrowed $1,500 in March, but with interest he now owes $3,000. During the trip, he said, the family was robbed in Nicaragua, in Guatemala, and again in Mexico. They were forced to beg, sell candy and borrow to push north.

To supplement her husband’s earnings, Ms. Nazaret cleans apartments in Queens once a week for $80. The couple sends money to family in Venezuela and slowly pays off what they owe. Meanwhile, the loan shark in Caracas is pressuring Mr. Milano. “He keeps sending messages asking when he’ll get paid,” he said. He fears that if he can’t keep up the payments, his family will be “messed with.”

Mr. Milano also worried constantly about being stopped by the police. His moped doesn’t have a license plate, and he doesn’t have insurance for it. Nor does he have a license to drive it. “They’d take the motorcycle,” he said, “and it’s not mine.” Not only would he be out of work, he would be responsible for the moped.

While the vehicles are a lifeline to some migrants, many New Yorkers have complained about what seems to be chaos on the streets, bike lanes and even sidewalks.