Readout: Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affais Acting Commissioner Bitta Mostofi Addresses M.A.S. Sheepsheard Bay Islamic Community Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2017
CONTACT: mediabox@moia.nyc.gov, 646-343-7164

Acting Commissioner Mostofi encouraged New Yorkers to stand united, recognize how different immigrant communities' fates are tied together

NEW YORK—Yesterday afternoon, Acting Commissioner Bitta Mostofi of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) spoke after Friday Jummah prayers the at M.A.S. Sheepshead Bay Islamic Community Center to encourage all New Yorkers, including Muslim New Yorkers, to stand together on behalf of immigrants. Acting Commissioner Mostofi also took the opportunity to inform the community about the latest information on the Trump Administration's travel and refugee bans. This event was part of MOIA's Faith Weekend of Action, with MOIA staff and organizers going to houses of worship and working with faith communities across the city to connect recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and families impacted by the travel and refugee bans with information on City services, including appointments for free and safe legal help with ActionNYC.

Acting Commissioner Mostofi spoke about the need for all New Yorkers, across all faith backgrounds, to work together in the fight to protect immigrant communities, noting how New Yorkers came together in protest after the first travel ban at JFK Airport and for the Yemeni Bodega Strike. She noted that while the Trump Administration cut the maximum number of refugees allowed into the U.S. by half, New York values mirror the poem emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Acting Commissioner Mostofi laid out for the group how the Trump administration's attacks fall not only on refugees and immigrants from countries targeted by the Muslim ban, but also on Dreamers, TPS recipients, and undocumented immigrants newly targeted for deportation. Mostofi ended her address by encouraging New Yorkers to make their voices heard on these issues, to share accurate information in their communities, and to connect people with services like ActionNYC.

About MOIA

The NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs promotes the well-being of NYC's immigrant communities by recommending policies and managing programs that help to successfully integrate immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic, and cultural life of the city. For more information on all MOIA services, go to nyc.gov/immigrants, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.