Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Concerns raised about funding and coordination of immigrant services
0:08:41
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113 sec
Council member Avilés expresses concerns about the administration's commitment to supporting immigrants, highlighting issues with funding adequacy and coordination between agencies. She questions the current structure's effectiveness and suggests the possibility of creating a dedicated agency for immigrant affairs.
- Criticism of inadequate funding for immigrant services
- Concerns about lack of coordination between agencies
- Suggestion to create a dedicated agency with authority and oversight for immigrant affairs
Alexa Avilés
0:08:41
Despite these shifts year after year, the administration touts its commitment to supporting immigrants, and yet we see a lack of adequate funding for the services and a lack of coordination between agencies tasked with delivering those services to those who need them the most, and an office with no real authority to compel agencies to do the right thing by immigrant New Yorkers.
0:09:07
These continued pain points continue to beg the fundamental question, is this structure the best that the city can do?
0:09:16
When our city's population is almost 40% of immigrants, is simply advice and a scattershot approach to such an important part of our demographic the most effective and efficient way to manage, or is it time to create an agency that can bring coherence, authority, and true oversight?
0:09:41
I think the fact pattern seems clear, and you all know what the definition of insanity is.
0:09:49
Today, the committee will examine the fiscal twenty twenty six preliminary budget and evaluate how the budget adequately prioritizes immigrant services and how the city makes sense of defunding programs amidst growing needs.
0:10:05
Today, we are hoping that since the last time we have met, the office of asylum seeker operations, OWASO, and the mayor's office of immigrant affairs, Moya, have finally started working together to deliver for New York City immigrants.
0:10:19
These two offices should be working together lockstep to ensure that immigrant communities, including the most recent people to arrive, receive the support they need.
0:10:29
Most often, we see disconnected operations and a failure to maximize the use of these resources.