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NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Launches Largest Immigrant Legal Services and Community Support Network

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2025

Contact: Shaina Torres, scoronel@cityhall.nyc.gov, 646-385-0334

Over 125 Sites Citywide to Deliver Legal Help, Support Services, and Immigrant Rights Education in Neighborhoods Across NYC

New York, NY – Today, the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) launched the largest, most comprehensive and coordinated municipal immigrant legal services and community support network in the United States. This groundbreaking initiative will deliver free, high-quality immigration legal assistance, support services, and immigrant rights education directly in the neighborhoods where immigrant New Yorkers live and work.

"This effort is the realization of a long-held vision: a more integrated, community-rooted approach that connects NYC government to immigrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs," said Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. "This effort builds upon three and a half years of hard work by our team, navigating unprecedented challenges and multiple crises that have deeply impacted our immigrant communities. During this time, MOIA has invested more funding and issued more contracts to nonprofit partners than at any other point in its history, laying the foundation for this moment. With this, we are building infrastructure not just for today, but for years to come."

The network features 38 MOIA Immigration Legal Support Centers that will serve as community-based hubs and provide immigration legal screenings, full representation, pro-se assistance, immigrant rights education, and referrals to city services. These centers are strategically distributed across all five boroughs, with additional high-capacity hubs operated by citywide providers. Together, these legal hubs represent a total investment of $18.8 million in three-year contracts and $11.6 million in one-year contracts.

Complementing these hubs are specialized and targeted investments, including a network of 3 MOIA Centers for rapid response support ($500,000); 7 MOIA Centers for Haitian community support ($1.65 million); 17 MOIA Centers for immigrant rights education located in trusted neighborhood-based organizations ($443,600); a partnership with New York City's three library systems to offer rights-based English language classes and information at over 60 library branches across the five boroughs ($600,000).

To further strengthen this network, MOIA is also investing in quality, consistency, and service coordination through the MOIA Legal Technical Mentorship Program, a program to strengthen the consistency and sustainability of immigration legal services citywide ($1.2 million over three years); the MOIA Technical Assistance for CBOs Program supporting capacity-building for community-based organizations ($110,000); and the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline, providing legal navigation and referrals across the five boroughs ($632,500).

This layered, citywide model is designed for both scale and depth. It blends high-capacity legal hubs with culturally specific services and broad community access points, ensuring that immigrant New Yorkers, regardless of borough, language, or immigration status, have meaningful, trusted pathways to legal help and city resources. Designed to be scalable and future-ready, the network can expand and adapt to evolving needs and crises. Above all, it is transformative by design, replacing fragmented access with an integrated, community-rooted approach and establishing long-term, durable infrastructure designed not only to serve today's needs, but also to grow and adapt in the years ahead.

For more details and a full list of MOIA Center sites and partners, visit: www.nyc.gov/immigrants

*This funding was added prior to, and is in addition to, the new investments in immigrant legal services that were announced as part of the Adopted Budget. The Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Budget, includes $76.3 million in funding for free legal assistance to immigrants, bringing the coming year's immigrant legal services budget to $122.9 million – a record level. To serve these communities, funding will support free legal assistance to immigrants, including representation for those facing deportation and assistance with applications for various immigration benefits, as well to assist unaccompanied minor immigrants in removal proceedings.

MOIA Centers for Immigrant Legal Support

Neighborhood-based legal hubs providing immigration legal screenings, full representation, pro-se assistance, immigrant rights education, and referrals services. Total Investment: $18.8 million in three-year contracts and $11.6 million in one-year contracts.

Citywide Centers

MOIA Center – Citywide
Catholic Charities Community Services
FY26 Contract: $3,000,000

MOIA Center – Citywide
New York Legal Assistance Group
FY26 Contract: $2,613,656

Queens Centers

MOIA Center – Queens
Advocacy Center of Queens County
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA)
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $285,000

MOIA Center – Queens
La Victoria Foundation
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Minkwon Center for Community Action, Inc.
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $320,891

MOIA Center – Queens
New York Legal Assistance Group with Chinese American Planning Council
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $2,613,656

MOIA Center – Queens
New York Legal Assistance Group with NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Queens Community House
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Women for Afghan Women
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Make the Road New York
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
(Contract shared with provider's sites in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island)

Brooklyn Centers

MOIA Center – Queens
Arab American Association of NY
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Arab-American Family Support Center
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
CAMBA
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $650,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Caribbean Women's Health Association
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $555,134

MOIA Center – Queens
Center for Family Life
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $889,236

MOIA Center – Queens
Council of People's Organization
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Queens
Make the Road New York
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
(Contract shared with provider's sites in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island)

The Bronx Centers

MOIA Center – The Bronx
BronxWorks
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $585,000

MOIA Center – The Bronx
Neighborhood Association for Inter-cultural Affairs (NAICA)
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – The Bronx
Catholic Charities Community Services
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $3,000,000
(Contract shared with provider's sites in The Bronx and Manhattan)

MOIA Center – The Bronx
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC)
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $513,698
(Contract shared with provider's sites in The Bronx and Manhattan)

Manhattan Centers

MOIA Center – Manhattan
Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC)
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Manhattan
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC)
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $513,698
(Contract shared with provider's sites in The Bronx and Manhattan)

MOIA Center – Manhattan
Project Rousseau
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Manhattan
Urban Justice Center
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Manhattan
African Communities Together
FY26 Contract: $199,980

MOIA Center – Manhattan
African Services Committee
FY26 Contract: $500,000

MOIA Center – Manhattan
Catholic Charities Community Services
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
Additional FY26 Contract: $3,000,000
(Contract shared with provider's sites in The Bronx and Manhattan)

Staten Island Centers

MOIA Center – Staten Island
Project Hospitality
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000

MOIA Center – Staten Island
Make the Road New York
FY26 Contract: $250,000 | 3-Year Total: $750,000
(Contract shared with provider's sites in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island)

MOIA Legal Technical Mentorship Program

Legal technical assistance and mentorship for legal providers across the MOIA network. Total Investment: $1.2M over 3 years

Partners

Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative (I-ARC)
Immigrant Defense Project

MOIA CBO Technical Assistance Program

Technical assistance for smaller community organizations. Total Investment: $110K

Partner

Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)

MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline

Citywide immigration legal support hotline providing trusted information, legal navigation, and connections to MOIA Centers and other legal services across all five boroughs. Total Investment: $632,500

Partner

Catholic Charities

MOIA Centers for Haitian Community Support

Focused on Haitian immigrant communities through culturally and linguistically tailored legal services. Total Investment: $1.65M

MOIA Centers for Rapid Response Support

Focused on deportation defense, detained families, and urgent legal needs. Total Investment: $500K

Partners

Make the Road
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)
UnLocal

MOIA Libraries Partnership

Rights-based English language classes and immigrant legal information offered at 60+ public library sites citywide. Total Investment: $600K

Partners

New York Public Library (NYPL)
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)
Queens Public Library (QPL)

MOIA Centers for Immigrant Rights Education

Immigrant rights education, multilingual outreach, and navigation support. Total Investment: $443K