IMMIGRANTS’ MATTERS

MOIA Commissioner Castro/ continued from page 1

Yorkers and uphold their rights. In a recent interview with our Editor-inChief, Pearl Phillip, Commissioner Manuel Castro of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in New York spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing immigrant communities in the City.

With years of experience advocating for immigrants' rights, Commissioner Castro discussed the initiatives and policies the Mayor's Office has implemented to better support and protect immigrant communities. From language access programs to fighting against anti-immigrant policies at the federal level, Commissioner Castro's insights shed light on the crucial work being done to empower and uplift immigrant New Yorkers.

Reaction to the Influx of Immigrants in New York City

Since 2022, the Governor of Texas has bussed immigrants from the US-Mexico border without much notice, resulting in coordination problems for the City's administration. Since then, the department has opened over 120 new shelters with various colleagues and other city agencies. Commissioner Castro said, "We lease hotels throughout New York City, turned them into shelters practically overnight to be able to house and provide services to asylum seekers."

This arrangement was with the support of other city departments like Health and Human Services under the leadership of Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom.

Yet, with recent threats and possible challenges of having a new immigrant influx as envisaged from the lifting of Title 42 by May 11th, which has hitherto, stemmed the influx of migrants based on COVID-19 restrictions, and the transition to the enforcement of Title 8 Act, there is a possibility of more immigrants bussed to New York by Governor Abbott of Texas. The situation remains a significant consideration that the Commissioner said the City's administration is poised to manage, despite the high cost of providing support services which have run into billions, with a minor bailout from the federal government, as experienced over the past months.

"We will work through it. We will continue to reach out and work with our federal and state partners. But in the mean- time, my role is to support immigrants as they arrive, welcome them, especially children and families, because it's a very fearful time."

The Commissioner says that despite the political games, immigrants are safe and supported by the City of New York. He also reacted to President Biden's proposal to create an emergency work authorization pathway for asylum seekers. In the Commissioner's view, it is legally possible for the President to accomplish the intention through an executive order or the redesignation of Temporary Protective Status to go beyond the humanitarian situation.

Labor

Force

Immigrants continue to support the City's labor force in various capacities; thus, celebrating May Day, the Commissioner recognized their contribution towards building New York City's Infrastructure. He says, "I think the City and our society really depend on each other and the labor force of our communities. We want to celebrate that but also remind people that safety comes first. So I want to work with my colleagues at the Department of Buildings, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and Worker Protection to ensure everyone knows that safety comes first. And if you've been a victim of workplace violence, please get in touch with the City so we can support you."

Complaints can be made through a hotline called 'Ask MOIA' - Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs; call (212) 7887654 or send an email to AskMoia@CityHallnyc.gov.

He encouraged immigrants to call and ask questions about their workplace rights, worker safety issues, and other rights they are entitled to in the United States and promised they would receive support.

Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Week

Reacting to the City's 'We Love Immigrant NYC' Campaign theme for the 2023 Immigrant Heritage Week, which the Commissioner, Manuel Castro, launched, he explained that it is important to celebrate immigrants and their heritage in New York City. "We celebrate that moment when many immigrants came to New York and the United States. And we want to remind everyone that they were probably immigrants or had continued on page 16