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Q&A
Debate over NYIFUP funding and legal services for immigrants facing deportation
0:49:55
·
5 min
Chair Alexa Avilés questions MOIA Commissioner Manuel Castro about the sufficiency of funding for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) and legal services for immigrants facing deportation. Castro acknowledges the increased need but notes that MOIA does not oversee NYIFUP directly.
- Castro highlights the heightened risk of detention and deportation for over a million non-citizens in NYC
- Avilés expresses frustration at the lack of concrete recommendations or requests for increased funding from MOIA
Alexa Avilés
0:49:55
have.
0:49:56
Okay.
0:49:56
That's a no.
0:49:57
Thank you.
0:49:59
We'd like to recognize council member De La Rosa.
0:50:03
As the Trump administration targets immigrant communities, the fear of deportation obviously continues to grow.
0:50:09
An anticipated huge number of New Yorkers will need legal representation and removal proceedings, which is expected to be higher than prior years.
0:50:19
Do you believe that the current funding level for NIFAP in fiscal twenty six preliminary budget is sufficient to meet the current demand for services?
Manuel Castro
0:50:29
Chair, thank you for the question.
0:50:31
Just to clarify, Moya does not oversee NYF UP.
0:50:36
That said, I think it's an incredibly important program and much needed as you as you stated.
0:50:42
But we do not oversee NYFAB.
0:50:44
It's overseen by Department of Social Services.
0:50:48
So I'd have to defer questions about the program to them.
0:50:53
But just to take a moment here to say that you are absolutely correct in in your analysis that our immigrant community is at heightened risk of of detention and deportation more so than at any moment in in modern history.
0:51:16
There are between 405 400,000, five hundred thousand undocumented immigrants living in our city, all of which are at heightened risk of, again, detention and deportation, but also tens of thousands of individuals who live in New York under DACA, TPS, and other programs that are in jeopardy, several tens of thousands of people that are seeking asylum, and several hundred thousands of immigrants who live in New York City under legal permanent residency who are us also at risk.
0:51:54
And so in our assessment, there are over a million noncitizens who live in New York City, all of whom may need some form of legal assistance at this moment.
0:52:04
And that would require a tremendous amount of resources in order to be able to, you know, like, close the gap or or address the gap in need with respect to legal services, and that's something that we've heard for a long time by our our legal providers and the advocacy community.
0:52:24
So I just want to share that we also are very much aware of this concern.
Alexa Avilés
0:52:33
So we recognize that there is a tremendous need that we're not meeting, but we are not requesting more staffing.
0:52:39
We're not requesting more money.
0:52:40
We are just recognizing that it is a problem.
Manuel Castro
0:52:44
Well, to be clear, the the the process to request or to share our staffing and resource needs is ongoing.
0:52:56
It's it doesn't just happen during this time, and this is an ongoing conversation with OMB.
0:53:06
What I am referring to is just the reality that we're in, and we have been for many decades now, not just under the last three years that I have been ahead of this office.
Alexa Avilés
0:53:24
Recognition is not going to help people get out of deportation proceedings.
0:53:28
And you're right.
0:53:29
This has been an ongoing issue, but we are here today.
0:53:34
And it is our advocacy and fight to expand the services when we see expanding need.
0:53:40
But to just say we recognize it's a problem is wholly insufficient.
0:53:45
We have to push beyond the recognition because it doesn't help anybody.
0:53:49
Do you have any recommendations on how the nine foot program could be strengthened?
Manuel Castro
0:53:56
Well again, I'd have to defer to our colleagues at DSS who oversee NYF UP.
Alexa Avilés
0:54:01
You have no recommendations as the mayor's office of immigrant affairs on how this program could be strengthened?
Manuel Castro
0:54:08
Again, generally, we don't weigh in on programs that are overseen by other agencies in public hearing.
0:54:18
We work closely with our colleagues across city agencies that oversee immigration related programs, and we're available to provide support and technical assistance.
0:54:30
And we certainly, you know, work with some of the same or similar providers.
0:54:40
And we try to, you know, make sure that they have the support that they need through our office as well.
Lorena Lucero
0:54:45
And chair, if I may, I just wanna add to what the commissioner is saying.
0:54:50
Moya, I mean at this time, not ready to give you a full list of recommendations.
0:54:57
But I do want to tell you that our office meets with the Office of Criminal Justice, who oversees NIFAP and other programs, other immigrant serving programs including the immigrant opportunities initiative.
0:55:12
And we meet with them biweekly to discuss issues that are happening across all programs.
0:55:18
And also bring our providers, so the formerly Action NYC, the legal Moya legal support providers now together in a quarterly quarterly meetings.
0:55:33
So I'm just sharing that as background because there are points of inter interconnection and inter coordination there.
0:55:41
But I have nothing to share at this moment, but I I think we will.
Alexa Avilés
0:55:45
I I appreciate the background.