FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2026 

SBS, MOIA LAUNCH NEW “KNOW YOUR RIGHTS” CAMPAIGN FOR STREET VENDORS

Campaign Includes New Multilingual Guide as Part of Joint Street Vendor Outreach Initiative

NEW YORK – Today, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) launched a new street vendor outreach initiative to increase access to free legal services and awareness of street vendor rights in public spaces. The first-of-its-kind outreach campaign will leverage resources at MOIA, the new office of Street Vendor Services at SBS, and community partners to promote a new “Know Your Rights with Law Enforcement as a Street Vendor in New York City” guide that provides this primarily immigrant business community with an overview of the law enforcement practices they may encounter while operating their business, their rights with each, and available city services.

“New York City’s culture and economy have always been powered by immigrants, and its robust ecosystem of street vendors is no exception,” said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. “I am proud to partner with MOIA as we work together to meet immigrant street vendors where they are, not just to inform them of their rights as New Yorkers, but to connect them with the services and resources they need to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.”

“Street vendors are an essential part of New York City’s fabric, driving economic opportunity and enriching neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” said MOIA Commissioner Faiza N. Ali. “Because many vendors work in public spaces, it is especially important that they understand their rights, protections, and city resources available to them. Through this Know Your Rights initiative with the Department of Small Business Services, we are reaffirming our commitment to immigrant New Yorkers by helping ensure they can work safely and with confidence. The strength of our city depends on the well-being of immigrant communities, and we are proud to partner with SBS to support street vendors whose contributions make New York stronger every day.”

According to research by the Immigration Research Initiative an estimated 23,000 New Yorkers – 96 percent of whom are immigrants – work as either licensed or unlicensed street vendors, contributing to the city’s economy every day. Vendors operate in outdoor, public spaces such as streets, sidewalks or plazas, and may therefore have more interactions with different types of law and immigration enforcement agents than indoor business owners, due to the nature of their work. 

The newly released guide also identifies vendor rights among the law enforcement agencies that they may encounter, and best practices for business operations. The agencies will distribute this guide to vendors through weekly outreach from July 9th through August 27th at vendor carts, trucks and tables citywide.

“From the tamaleras of Corona to the portrait artists of Times Square, street vendors fold our city’s unrivaled diversity into our streets and sidewalks,” said Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, Executive Director of the Office of Street Vendor Services at SBS. “Due to the nature of their work in public space, vendors regularly come into contact with multiple law enforcement agencies, and it is essential they are empowered with information about their rights. Today, more than ever, our city's smallest businesses, the majority of whom are immigrants, need resources, advocacy, and protection, and we are proud to partner with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to deliver on these needs with the Know Your Rights outreach campaign and guide for street vendors.”

“After decades of a broken street vending system, New York City is finally building a pathway to opportunity for our smallest businesses,” said New York City Council Member Pierina Sanchez. “But reforms only matter if the people they are designed to protect know their rights, understand the rules, and can actually use the tools available to them. Paired with the Mayor’s significant investments through SBS, this Know Your Rights effort will meet vendors where they are — in trusted languages, through trusted partners — with clear information on the kind of enforcement they may encounter while operating, agency responsibilities, and available services. With more than 90% of street vendors coming from immigrant backgrounds, this outreach is essential to fair implementation. I thank SBS, the Office of Street Vendor Services, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, and community partners for helping turn reform on paper into dignity and opportunity on our streets.” 

“Running a small business in New York City is hard enough without the added fear of an immigration system that increasingly tramples on the rights of immigrant New Yorkers,” said New York City Council Member Elsie Encarnación. “By meeting our immigrant vendors where they already work in public spaces, SBS and MOIA are making sure that a group of immigrants critical to New York City's economy, and more importantly, our neighbors and friends, can run their businesses armed with the knowledge they need to stand up for their rights and resist intimidation by federal law enforcement.”

“The Street Vendor Project applauds the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Department of Small Business Services for their work to ensure NYC’s 23,000 street vendors know their rights,” said Mohamed Attia, Managing Director of the Street Vendor Project. “Street vendors have been repeatedly targeted by ICE raids and are especially vulnerable given their visibility on the streets of our city. We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to protect immigrant street vendors and prioritize outreach over enforcement.”

The full text of the new “Know Your Rights with Law Enforcement” document is available in the 10 designated citywide languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, French, and Spanish – the languages most commonly spoken within the vending community. 

About the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA)
MOIA has an Immigration Legal Support Hotline that New Yorkers can call for free, confidential immigration legal help in over 200+ languages at 800-354-0365.

For multilingual Know Your Rights materials visit: www.nyc.gov/knowyourrights. To sign up to our newsletter for the latest information to our office and our IDNYC sites, click here. To request a Know Your Rights presentation or community resources for an event, click here.

About the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) 
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 888-SBS-4NYC, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.