About MOIA

Our Mission

New York City is a sanctuary city. Under these principles, MOIA’s mission is to ensure that immigrant New Yorkers across all five boroughs are supported, empowered, and protected. We achieve this by providing immigration legal assistance through the largest municipal legal support network in the nation, establishing English language learning hubs in partnership with libraries and community organizations, and expanding language access so that all New Yorkers can meaningfully participate in their communities. MOIA regularly advances policy reforms that champion the rights of immigrant New Yorkers, coordinates citywide strategies to better serve our immigrant communities, and drives strategic communications to ensure immigrant New Yorkers know their rights, can access critical services, and can deepen their connections to the city.  

To meet widespread challenges, MOIA employs a citywide, inter-agency, and multi-sector strategy to translate advocacy into effective policies and operations across city government, build language and cultural competence into city infrastructure, develop scalable crisis-response models, and partner with trusted nonprofits and non-governmental organizations to holistically serve immigrant communities across the city. 

Our service model is community-rooted and constituent oriented. Our multilingual staff are trained to assist immigrant New Yorkers in accessing critical city resources. Immigrants are central to our city’s identity and make up the backbone of our city and economy; it’s up to our government to provide a pathway to opportunity, safety, and dignity for immigrants and all who call our city home.