NY.- New York, the destination of thousands of immigrants since last year, launched this Thursday a network of legal services to help them with the process of applying for asylum in USA, informed the commissioner of the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), Manuel Castro.
The Asylum Seekers Legal Assistance Network (ASLAN) has an investment of five million dollars to help this population, which will receive services through community organizations as well as from the Asylum Requests Help Center in the building of the Red Cross in Manhattan, Castro also said in a statement.
Services are offered on a priority basis to immigrants who arrived in the United States on or after January 1, 2022, especially to people who are approaching critical dates, such as the one-year deadline to apply for asylum.
As part of the network, the city has partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY) for its students to support newcomers with information or assessments, or to help them apply for asylum, a process that will be overseen by his Faculty of Law.
In addition, students and faculty from the CUNY School of Social Work and the CUNY School of Medicine will collaborate to support your mental health and social needs.
“CUNY has a proud history of educating immigrants and first-generation families who have found in our classrooms a path to well-paying jobs and mobility,” CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos said in the statement.
“This partnership is another opportunity to support a new generation of New Yorkers whose success will benefit our city and state,” he said.
As part of the network, MOIA’s Immigration Legal Hotline will also be expanded to handle a higher volume of calls.
“New York continues to lead the nation in responding to this humanitarian crisis and supporting new arrivals. While we wait for a national strategy, our administration will remain committed to being a city of immigrants,” Castro said.
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday made a desperate appeal for help to the federal government and the local legislature for the number of immigrants who are under the care of the city, which exceeds 57,300 people, at a daily cost of $383 each.
He warned that the city has already spent 1,450 million this fiscal year to provide accommodation, food and services to this population.
MOIA will coordinate the activities of the network and immigrants can find more information at www.nyc.gov/asylumseekers.
