New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams says that following town’s Asylum Utility Assist Heart’s first anniversary, the middle has gained the American Bar Affiliation’s (ABA) Hodson Award for distinguished public service for its work serving to Caribbean and different asylum seekers submit purposes for work authorization, short-term protected standing (TPS) and asylum.
Most of the migrants crossing the southern border of america and arriving in main cities, comparable to New York, looking for asylum, are nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Adams stated the award — named in honor of the distinguished public service profession of the late Main Common Kenneth J. Hodson, a former decide advocate basic of the US Military — acknowledges sustained, excellent efficiency or a selected and extraordinary service by a authorities or public sector regulation workplace.
“New York Metropolis has carried out greater than some other locality throughout the nation to handle the asylum seeker disaster, and a key a part of that work helps our newcomers take their subsequent steps in the direction of independence by serving to them submit very important and sophisticated work authorization, TPS, and asylum purposes,” stated Mayor Adams final Thursday. “This well-deserved award is a credit score to our artistic and devoted workforce, who created this first-in-the-nation middle and have supported greater than 58,000 purposes — that’s tens of hundreds of people and households who’re this a lot nearer to the American Dream.
“And if we get the federal modifications we have to make it simpler for much more folks to work, we’ll be capable of do that rather more,” he added. “My because of the American Bar Affiliation for recognizing this unimaginable, impactful work.”
“Because the first asylum seekers arrived in New York, we’ve labored hand-in-hand with Mayor Adams and his administration to supply assets and assist,” stated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Because of our partnership with Mayor Adams and his administration, we’re making actual progress on work authorization and case administration. Migrants got here to this nation to work — so we’re coordinating our efforts to place them to work.”
“At the moment, we have fun a significant milestone in our response to this nationwide humanitarian disaster with the one-year anniversary of the Asylum Utility Assist Heart,” stated Workplace of Asylum Seeker Operations Director Molly Schaeffer. “In collaboration with our state and federal companions, the middle has helped migrants and asylum seekers submit over 58,000 purposes for asylum, work authorization, and TPS. New Yorkers do what we do finest in instances of disaster: we develop artistic options, and we’re proud that we’ve created a nationwide mannequin that helps folks take the following steps of their American journey.”
“As an immigrant, serving to hundreds of households take the following step of their journey to safety and stability is an honor of a lifetime,” stated Asylum Utility Assist Heart Govt Director Masha Gindler. “I’m grateful to the American Bar Affiliation for recognizing the exhausting work and irreplaceable expertise of the middle’s utility assistants, supervising attorneys, and website administration employees on our one-year anniversary.”
Within the Asylum Utility Assist Heart’s first 12 months, Adams stated town has helped migrants and migrant households within the metropolis’s care submit greater than 58,000 purposes for work authorization, TPS, and asylum.
He stated the Asylum Utility Assist Heart has expanded to 5 places in two boroughs, and co-hosted profitable satellite tv for pc clinics in partnership with the state of New York, which has supported the middle with $40 million in funding; the federal authorities; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; New York Legislation College; and Academic Alliance.
It has welcomed virtually 2,000 volunteers from universities, regulation corporations, and firms, the mayor stated.
He stated hundreds of asylum seekers assisted by the Asylum Utility Assist Heart have already been granted work authorization, TPS, and asylum.
Adams stated serving to asylum seekers to file asylum purposes helps ship on one other promise made in his “The Highway Ahead: A Blueprint to Handle New York Metropolis’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Disaster,” launched final spring.
He stated his administration additionally continues to strongly urge the federal authorities to right away use each instrument at its disposal to guard and assist newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers — and the municipalities supporting them — by increasing humanitarian parole and short-term protected standing and expediting.
Because the asylum seeker humanitarian disaster started in April 2022, Adams stated New York Metropolis has taken “quick and pressing motion” to supply care to the greater than 200,000 migrants who’ve come to the 5 boroughs and sought help from town — opening greater than 200 emergency shelters to supply a roof over the heads of migrants.
Along with the Asylum Utility Assist Heart, the mayor stated town has additionally stood up navigation facilities to attach asylum seekers with important assets and enrolled tens of hundreds of youngsters in public colleges via Challenge Open Arms.
Final August, Mayor Adams hosted “The American Dream Works” — a rally with a whole bunch of asylum seekers, union members, enterprise leaders, and elected officers calling for expanded work authorization for asylum seekers. Subsequently, President Biden introduced an extension of short-term protected standing for Venezuelan migrants.
“Academic Alliance is proud to be partnering with town’s Asylum Utility Assist Heart on a piece authorization clinic pilot program at our places of work on Manhattan’s Decrease East Facet,” stated Wealthy Baum, president and CEO, Academic Alliance. “We admire town’s assist and progressive effort to make a distinction within the lives of latest New Yorkers. When asylum seekers are outfitted with the instruments they should discover work, they’re extra readily in a position to thrive and flourish of their new neighborhood.”
“New York Legislation College was excited to hitch town in offering professional se asylum help,” stated Anthony Crowell, dean and president, New York Legislation College (NYLS). “Along with sending interns and volunteers to the Heart, NYLS served as a satellite tv for pc website for the Asylum Utility Assist Heart. By internet hosting 16 asylum clinics on our campus, we gave our college students, school, alumni, and neighborhood volunteers extra alternatives to meaningfully contribute to this program and assist our new neighbors.”
“Final summer season, when New York Metropolis known as upon its main establishments of upper training to contribute much-needed folks energy to help the most recent New Yorkers in filling out purposes for asylum, New York College promptly responded to the decision,” Georgina Dopico, provost, New York College. “Since then, we now have watched with pleasure as our college students, school, and employees devoted their power, knowledge, and compassion to this necessary effort. And now, we congratulate the workforce on the Asylum Utility Assist Heart, each for serving to tens of hundreds of individuals and for receiving this well-merited award for doing so; we’re glad to have been a part of the hassle.”
“We’re proud to be a frontrunner on this metropolis initiative to assist extra people safe work authorization,” stated Brad S. Karp, chair, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
“New York Metropolis’s Asylum Utility Assist Heart is a groundbreaking method to serving to the most recent arrivals to our neighborhood on a big scale, offering all the mandatory instruments to assist volunteers help asylum seekers,” stated Stacey E. Kushlefsky, professional bono counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. “Willkie is proud to be a seamless supporter of this necessary and much-needed initiative having supplied lawyer, paralegal, intern, and summer season regulation clerk volunteers.”
“The Colin Powell College is a proud companion of the Asylum Utility Assist Heart,” stated Andrew Wealthy, Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis dean, Colin Powell College for Civic and International Management, Metropolis School of New York. “By welcoming so many new Individuals to New York Metropolis, the middle embodies the core values, not solely of our establishment, but in addition of our college students. During the last 12 months, 30 of our college students labored with asylum seekers to navigate a fancy utility course of. We’re happy to have contributed to the middle’s efforts in its first 12 months, and we look ahead to persevering with to supply our college students with significant and transformative experiences via this relationship.”
