Photo credit: MOIA
New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro today announced that the City has launched the Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network (ASLAN), a $5 million investment to expand community capacity to provide immigration legal assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers. This is in addition to the over 65 million the city invests in legal services to support immigrant New Yorkers – the most of any municipality in the nation.
Services will be provided at community-based locations citywide in addition to the Asylum Application Help Center at the Red Cross building in midtown Manhattan, and remotely.
The following network contracted partners have received city funding to provide a combination of orientation sessions, legal screenings, application assistance, pro se assistance clinics, self-help materials and workshops, and other services:
African Services Committee
CUNY Law
CUNY Citizenship Now!
Catholic Charities Community Services
Lutheran Social Services of New York
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and their subcontracted partners, collectively referred to as PSPP+
African Communities Together (ACT)
Catholic Migration Services (CMS)
Central American Legal Assistance (CALA)
Masa
Unlocal
MOIA will provide central coordination of the network’s activities and regularly meet with contracted providers to share information and best practices in response to changing federal immigration policies and practices.
Services will be available to migrants and asylum seekers who arrived in the United States on or after January 1, 2022. Providers will prioritize services for individuals approaching critical dates, such as the one-year deadline to file for asylum. Information about accessing services can be found at www.nyc.gov/asylumseekers.
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