“It will be difficult to stay afloat if we continue to take in so many people,” said the city’s deputy mayor for health and humanitarian services, Anne Williams-Isom.
This was during the presentation with the Asylum Application Assistance Office about the status of the migration crisis in the city.
According to the head of the mayor’s asylum application assistance center, Masha Gindler, 3,800 applications have been submitted since it opened in June.
However, they recommend that immigrants who have missed the one-year deadline consult a lawyer.
Attorney Jodi Z, Director of the NYLAG Organization’s Immigration Program:
“There are still protections in place for people who died this year, and there are also legal exemptions for some people who died this year.”
Immigration attorney Jodi Ziesemer of the nonprofit New York Legal Assistance Group says most of the cases her office receives come from immigrants who don’t know the application rules.
For her part, Gov. Kathy Hochul said more social workers are needed to collect information about the housing status and asylum claims of these immigrants. The state allocated a budget of $36 million for this purpose.
While the city waits for $100 million the federal government approved in June.
“Asylum law in the United States is very complicated…
The lawyer says it is important that people have all the necessary documents before consulting a lawyer.”
“We need to see what your documents say in order to be able to give you good advice about your options,” adds Ziesemer.
Despite the large number of people who need help from a lawyer, I add that the organization continues to prepare for more immigrants to benefit from free legal advice.
“We work with the city and state of New York to provide information and workshops to inform people and provide assistance to any person who needs help,” the lawyer indicates.
