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Q&A
Council Member Avilés questions MOIA on support for unaccompanied minors
3:16:56
·
5 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés engages in a Q&A session with MOIA officials, focusing on the city's support for unaccompanied minors. She expresses concern about the lack of clear investment and questions MOIA's role in coordinating efforts across city agencies to support this vulnerable population.
- Avilés highlights the defunding of a $14 million program for unaccompanied minors and presses for information on any new funding or strategies.
- MOIA officials defer some questions to other agencies like ACS, leading to further questioning about MOIA's coordination role.
- The exchange reveals tension between MOIA's stated coordination function and its apparent lack of specific actions or recommendations for supporting unaccompanied minors.
Alexa Avilés
3:16:56
Okay, so in terms of, we're gonna switch to unaccompanied minors.
3:17:01
The number of unaccompanied minors continues to increase.
3:17:05
The absence of clear sustained investment raises concern about the city's preparedness and long term strategy for supporting this vulnerable population.
3:17:15
Is there any funding in fiscal twenty twenty six budget to address the needs of unaccompanied minors arriving in New York City or those who are facing immigration courts?
Lorena Lucero
3:17:28
So I don't have the number but I know that I can say that we are working with iCare, the coalition that supports some of this population to figure out a need.
3:17:42
I also don't have the latest but I know that iCare's house at the Department of Social Services.
3:17:49
I just don't have the number with me.
Alexa Avilés
3:17:51
So the the program was defunded.
3:17:54
I'm sure you're aware at $14,000,000.
3:17:57
Several thousand children.
3:18:01
Is is the administration gonna add any funding for unaccompanied minors?
3:18:07
The cases haven't disappeared.
3:18:10
They still sit with the providers with no money.
3:18:14
So
Manuel Castro
3:18:16
this is work that our colleagues at ACS oversee.
3:18:19
We're working closely with them and providers to see what if the city can do with with respect to this population.
3:18:29
We again were also very concerned about about the children that are left without services.
Alexa Avilés
3:18:38
Did Moya ask OMB specifically for funding for this program?
3:18:44
Moya didn't For unaccompanied minors?
Manuel Castro
3:18:46
Moya did not ask for this as for this program as it's overseen by ACS.
3:18:53
I defer to them to answer this question.
Alexa Avilés
3:18:56
So you defer to ACS to do advocacy for unaccompanied minors?
Manuel Castro
3:19:02
No.
3:19:03
We've raised concern, of course, about the impact of providers and that the children that are left without legal services.
3:19:14
But again, I defer to ACS to answer questions on their program.
Sandy Nurse
3:19:19
And
Alexa Avilés
3:19:19
how is Moya then coordinating between the agencies, in particular to support the holistic well-being of unaccompanied minors?
3:19:31
Are you gathering ACS, education, housing?
3:19:36
Are you doing any interagency gatherings specifically for this vulnerable community that has been defunded by the federal government?
Manuel Castro
3:19:43
I know services with respect to youth, children, families as part of our ongoing conversations through our immigrant interagency task force.
3:19:55
And again, you know, the programs that are specifically overseen by ACS and other agencies, they request the funding or can say more about their needs.
Alexa Avilés
3:20:09
Right.
3:20:09
Commissioner.
3:20:10
But but Moya's role, right, is remind me what the role of Moya is for city agencies.
Manuel Castro
3:20:19
Yes.
3:20:19
Again, it's it's to help them help convene and coordinate across programs.
3:20:26
But again, I care is is something that the office of civil justice oversees and in collaboration with ACS and I defer to these agencies to weigh in on their budgets.
Alexa Avilés
3:20:36
Okay.
3:20:37
So have you convened and coordinated unaccompanied minors and the situation we're currently in?
Lorena Lucero
3:20:46
So Moya has spoken to both the Department of Social Services and ACS in regards to some of the cuts that we were seeing federally.
3:20:56
In addition to also speaking directly with Functionally Eye Care Coalition.
Sophie Dalsimer
3:21:03
Okay.
Alexa Avilés
3:21:05
First of I'm trying to get a sense of what is this action that is happening.
3:21:09
Is it are there meetings?
3:21:11
Are there actual requests for funding?
3:21:13
Or what what is the level of action that is happening when we have seen a straight defunding of some of the most vulnerable folks in immigrant communities?
3:21:23
Children in particular.
3:21:25
So I'm sorry I keep asking the question, but I just want a very specific answer.
3:21:29
Either you didn't or you don't do it or you're in the process of it and this is what it looks like.
3:21:34
This is what we're recommending or not recommending.
3:21:37
So has the administration again considered long term strategies for unaccompanied minors who Especially those who are aging out of youth services, but still require support.
Manuel Castro
3:21:51
Again, know this is an ongoing issue and we're working with impacted agencies and providers to figure out what might come next.
Donna Hylton
3:22:04
Again,
Manuel Castro
3:22:08
the gap left by the funding of this program by the federal government is vast, and no one city can, you know, close the gap.
3:22:17
Okay.
Sophie Dalsimer
3:22:18
I'm gonna
Alexa Avilés
3:22:19
ask one more question, and then I'm gonna turn it over to colleagues.
3:22:21
I know you have places to go.
3:22:23
Thank you for being here.