On July 12th, Brooklyn Bensonhurst City Council Member Wendy Zhuang, along with Queens Flushing City Council Member Minnie Wong, Astoria Indian-American City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, and East Queens Korean-American City Council Member Linda Lee, submitted a letter to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and the Office of Adult and Shelter Services for refugees (OASO), requesting more support and outreach services for Asian asylum seekers.
The letter mentioned that the fastest-growing group among immigrant populations crossing the US-Mexico border are refugees from China. Last year, Asian immigrant cases made up nearly 25% of all immigration court cases. New York City has the highest number of Asian refugees in the country, yet less than 1% of Asian refugees utilize the city’s shelter system, preferring to rely on support networks within Asian communities spread across the five boroughs.
The four council members called for adjustments to New York City’s service plans to better assist these refugees.
“Everyone who comes to our city in pursuit of the American dream should have access to resources that help them succeed,” Zhuang said. Last month, she expressed disappointment with the responses from the Office of Immigrant Affairs at a joint hearing with the Small Business and Immigration Committee, highlighting the serious inadequacies in services for Asian refugees.
“While the Immigrant Affairs Office promised to address this issue and respond promptly, my team and I have followed up multiple times without results. Asian immigrants have long been neglected in New York City, and this situation cannot continue,” Zhuang said, expressing hope that both MOIA and OASO would take immediate action to support Asian refugees.
Minnie Wong stated that when Asian immigrants first seek assistance upon arrival, they usually do not turn to government agencies but seek help from local community organizations. These trusted non-profit organizations can speak their language, understand their culture, and are familiar with the specific challenges they face. However, because these individuals do not access services in the traditional way set by the city government (such as going to shelters), they lack the urgent services and support they need.
She acknowledged the efforts made by both agencies in dealing with the influx of new immigrants but pointed out that each community has its unique challenges.
“I urge the city government to recognize the important role of these community organizations and work closely with them. Through partnerships with these organizations, New York City can ensure that no one is left behind,” Wong said.
During a joint hearing of the Small Business and Immigration Committee on June 11th, Council Member Wendy Zhuang raised a series of questions regarding the issue of Chinese refugees. She noted that last year, 37,000 Chinese individuals crossed the US border, with the majority arriving in New York City, and as far as she knew, 24% of these Chinese individuals came to the city.
Zhuang inquired about the resources the Immigrant Affairs Office has dedicated to outreach activities in the Chinese community and highlighted that the number of Chinese asylum seekers this year is ten times that of last year. Less than 1% of Chinese refugees are living in shelters.
Kareema Hussein, project director at the Office of Immigrant Affairs, explained that MOIA currently only has funding to provide services such as asylum application assistance, work authorization, TPS (temporary protected status), how to register for a New York City ID (ID NYC), how to access legal services, and outreach services regarding immigrant rights in the city to those in shelters, among a possibly wider group of services, but she did not have a complete list of services and outreach programs.
Zhuang urged MOIA to ramp up efforts to assist the Chinese community, pointing out that the current resources and outreach efforts are insufficient. Hussein pledged to bring the issue back to the external team and promised to provide more information.