Page 12 - The Indian EYE 120823

North The Indian Eye

AMERICANNewsline

12 DECEMBER 08, 2023

NYC Mayor Adams expands immigration

application assistance centers,

convenes resettlement working group

Resettlement Working Group Will Collaborate with Other Cities, National Refugee Resettlement

Organizations to Expand Resettlement Options for Asylum Seekers

clinics hosted in partnership with the
OUR BUREAU
federal government and city-based
NEW YORK, NY nonprofits — totaling more than
16,000 asylum, work authorization,
s New York City continues to and TPS applications filed thanks to
manage a national asylum seek-
Aer crisis largely on its own, New the city’s efforts in recent months.
This month, the city also
York City Mayor Eric Adams today launched its first satellite sites for im-
launched an expansion of the Asylum
Application Help Center, scaling up migration application assistance in
Harlem and Lower Manhattan, and,
a resource that has helped thousands in the coming weeks, the city will
of asylum seekers complete complex open additional sites to serve more
immigration forms as they continue asylum seekers in the city’s care. In-
to pursue the American Dream. With terested asylum seekers can schedule
funding from the state, the Adams one-on-one appointments at help
administration will open two satellite centers, where trained application
sites to assist asylum seekers submit
applications for asylum, Temporary assistants provide individualized sup-
port to the applicant based on their
Protected Status (TPS), and work needs. The city remains on track to
authorization — critical steps on the identify, screen, and schedule ap-
path to securing employment and liv-
ing independently. tions for asylum seekers, and provide families take important and neces- pointments for all eligible Venezu-
New York City with much needed sary steps to ultimately continue on elans who are in the city’s care and
As the city continues to pursue and meaningful financial support. In their path to self-sufficiency and the qualify for the federal government’s
extension and redesignation of TPS
the absence of that national strategy, American Dream,” said Deputy May-
its own long-term solutions in New York City continues to lead — or for Health and Human Services by the end of the year.
Comprised of city officials work-
the absence of a federal strate- building out the legal and resettle- Anne Williams-Isom. “This work will ing on the asylum seeker response,
ment infrastructure needed to ad-
be bolstered by additional satellite
gy, Mayor Adams also convened dress this crisis. We hope the federal sites across the city in order to help the Resettlement Working Group
a Resettlement Working Group government will join us in these ef- even more people. We continue to is meeting with immigrant and refu-
gee resettlement organizations and
forts and finish the job they started.”
do our part as a city, and we thank
to focus on collaborating with “Our city has done a nation’s the federal government for their sup- experts to understand best practic-
national refugee resettlement work — without a nation’s resourc- port with work authorizations — but es from across the country and the
more federal support is needed to
world. The working group will also
es — in responding to the asylum
organizations and municipali- seeker crisis, and our Asylum Appli- help asylum seekers transition more continue to connect with leaders of
ties across the country looking cation Help Center is the tip of the quickly to independence.” cities dealing with large influxes of
Since opening this summer — asylum seekers, as well as with cities
spear in our efforts to help asylum
to boost declining populations. seekers take the next steps in their bolstered by critical funding from in need of people to fill vacant jobs.
journeys,” said Chief of Staff Camille state partners — the city’s help cen- For over a year, the city has asked the
“While we continue to call for a Joseph Varlack. “These satellite sites ter has supported the filing of over federal government to lead a nation-
national strategy to solve a national will allow us to process even more 7,200 asylum applications, approxi- al resettlement and decompression
crisis, New York City continues to do applications, getting asylum seekers mately 2,900 work authorization ap- plan. In the absence of action, New
its part to support asylum seekers,” one step closer to work authorization plications, and nearly 2,900 TPS ap- York City continues to lead and in-
said Mayor Adams. “For over a year, and self-sufficiency.” plications — more than 13,000 total. vest in long-term strategies like reset-
we have asked the federal govern- “In less than six months, the Asy- The city has additionally helped asy- tlement, legal services, and casework
ment to put forward a resettlement lum Application Help Center has lum seekers file over 3,100 work au- to move asylum seekers out of shel-
strategy, expedite work authoriza- assisted thousands of individuals and thorization applications during two ter and onto a path to stability.

www.TheIndianEYE.com