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Q&A
Funding for legal services for unaccompanied immigrant minors
2:40:06
·
131 sec
Council Member Diana I. Ayala inquires about funding for legal services for unaccompanied immigrant minors, highlighting the recent termination of federal support and the growing need. Director Jacques Jiha acknowledges the addition of resources for legal services but is unsure about specific funding for unaccompanied children.
- Ayala emphasizes the urgency, mentioning a recent case of a high school student being detained
- Jiha commits to following up with MOYA (Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs) for more information
- Ayala requests support for a $6,300,000 funding request for fiscal year 2026, but Jiha cannot make an immediate commitment
Diana I. Ayala
2:40:06
Sorry.
2:40:07
I had a couple of follow-up questions.
2:40:11
The first question is on immigration.
2:40:12
The executive plan does not include any dedicated funding for legal services for unaccompanied minors despite the growing need and the loss of critical federal support.
2:40:21
On March 21, the federal government abruptly terminated the unaccompanied children's program contract cutting nearly 14,000,000 for New York City legal providers.
2:40:31
This decision left more than 1,300 children without an attorney and some already have court hearings scheduled.
2:40:37
Has Moya or HRA request additional funding for unaccompanied children for fiscal year twenty six?
Jacques Jiha
2:40:43
As far as I'm concerned, I'm not aware of that, but I know for sure we added resources for Moya in the budget for legal services.
2:40:55
But specifically for those children, I'm not aware of any requests coming to us for those specific children.
Gale A. Brewer
2:41:04
Okay.
2:41:04
Could you
Jacques Jiha
2:41:05
I will double check.
Diana I. Ayala
2:41:05
Hand that back to me.
2:41:06
Thank you.
2:41:06
I'll
Jacques Jiha
2:41:06
double check.
Diana I. Ayala
2:41:07
I mean it's pretty scary because we have children now.
2:41:10
Know, just yesterday we had a high schooler that was detained and this is the beginning of what we anticipate will be a long
Jacques Jiha
2:41:19
We remain committed to supporting immigration legal services.
2:41:22
As I said, we added $42,000,000 in the budget for fiscal year twenty six.
2:41:27
But for the specific children, I'm not aware, but I will follow-up with you.
Diana I. Ayala
2:41:32
Okay.
2:41:32
So given that New York City continues to serve as a key destination for immigrant youth, many of whom are rightfully in violence, poverty, and instability, what steps is the city taking to coordinate with nonprofit legal service providers to ensure continuity of care for these children and also making sure that these children do not appear in court alone?
Jacques Jiha
2:41:50
Again as I said I will follow-up with Moya to see what they're doing and we'll be back to you.
Diana I. Ayala
2:41:58
Okay.
2:41:59
Do you commit to supporting, to support the funding request of $6,300,000 needed in fiscal year twenty six for legal service support for unaccompanied minors?
Jacques Jiha
2:42:08
Again, as I said, I cannot make a commitment at this point in time, but we'll review the needs as we progress toward adoption and then we'll have a discussion.