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Q&A
Consideration of restructuring MOIA as a full city agency
3:29:54
·
3 min
Council Member Avilés raises the question of whether MOIA would be more effective as a full city agency rather than a mayoral office, given its current limitations and the importance of immigrant services in NYC.
- Avilés suggests that a full agency might have more authority, accountability, and oversight over immigration services
- Commissioner Castro avoids directly answering the question, citing the need to respect colleagues who work on legislation
- The exchange highlights the political constraints on MOIA's ability to advocate for structural changes
Alexa Avilés
3:29:54
It seems it seems today's hearing, and certainly the lead up to today's hearing, has has demonstrated a kind of a fact pattern that our current structure for how we deal with immigration services and programs, as I said in my opening statement, is both scattershot across agencies where Moya can't actually respond to a lot of the services that are happening because they are under the purview of other agencies or doesn't have sufficient funding or can't respond to critical policy matters at hand.
3:30:36
Given all these challenges and limitations, do you think Moya as a mayoral agency is the best as as a mayoral agency and not a city agency is the best approach?
Manuel Castro
3:30:53
Well, in terms of well, actually, I I have to ask just a clarifying question.
3:31:02
Are you, chair, referring to any pending city legislation or proposal around creating
Alexa Avilés
3:31:10
a the structure, you're as you've noted and and it's clear throughout this hearing that Moya has a very limited purview in addition to, I think, limitations that are self imposed.
3:31:27
But do you think immigrant New Yorkers, forty percent of our city, would be better served to have an actual agency agency that had authority, accountability, and full oversight over immigration services be a better model for us?
Manuel Castro
3:31:44
I'm sure I was asking because I know in the past there has been legislation introduced to exactly do that, create an agency in in for to weigh in on pending legislation or proposals, I'd have to refer to our our
Alexa Avilés
3:31:58
I'm not talking about legislation.
3:32:00
I'm talking about from your estimation as a commissioner, understanding the limitations of the structure that you're operating under, do you think for our city, immigrant New Yorkers would be better served to have a full fledged agency that has funding lines, that has accountability, that has actual oversight authority of how those how funds are being allocated?
3:32:26
Do you think that would be a better structure for our city?
3:32:29
I'm not asking about the legislation.
3:32:31
I'm asking about this structure.
Manuel Castro
3:32:33
I I just wanted to be respectful of my colleagues who work on legislation on our end.
3:32:40
But look, prior to, you know, being appointed commissioner, I've been a longtime advocate of of Moya as an institution.
3:32:51
And whatever strengthens Moya and the entities that do the work on behalf of immigrant communities, we're ready to to take that on to better meet the needs of our immigrant New Yorkers, of which I described here are vast, especially at moments like this.
Alexa Avilés
3:33:11
Commissioner, you did not fail.
3:33:13
You ended this conversation with a perfectly nonanswer, so I appreciate that.
3:33:19
I think I think you want to say that, yes, we deserve a mayoral agency that has full authority and accountability to immigrant New Yorkers given how important the community is, but you are constrained in being able to say that.
3:33:37
So I guess with that, that was my last question.
3:33:41
I thank you for your time.
3:33:43
And really, this time, I'm not gonna pull out an extra question.
3:33:46
Thank you.
3:33:47
Thank you for your Yes.