The announcement was made by immigration councilor Manuel Castro and would benefit more than 12,000 immigrants who have come to New York seeking asylum in the United States: the city will present a $ 5 million legal consultancy contract.
The idea, the official pointed out, is that asylum seekers can access the lawyers paid by the municipality with these funds.
Immigration lawyer Luis Gómez Alfaro sees this as something positive.
“It is necessary help what it is now. Either they help you when you first arrive or you can get lost in the system,” the lawyer said.
“You have to get through the domicile of your cases, often in Texas or Arizona, before your first hearing to avoid deportation in absentia. You have to help them register with the court, with the ICE, so they can comply, here’s the the idea is that they respect in order to evaluate their refugee cases, their asylum cases “, added Gómez Alfaro.
The contract requests reflect the urgency: the chosen lawyers will have to provide legal services to up to 100 families per day, in five satellite centers and other traveling spaces located close to the newcomers’ concentration points.
“This city has to deal with a lot of immigrants who are coming and need that great help to get into the system, most of them are seeking asylum and most of them are refugees from Venezuela, Nicaragua and other countries. where they are subject to oppression, “said Gómez Alfaro.
Maxwell Álvarez, who arrived from Guatemala more than 13 years ago, supports aid for new immigrants.
“At least my experience, very difficult, very difficult, without a family, without anything to eat for many days, for many weeks, for many months,” said Álvarez,
“And in the end you see the light, ‘so’ this is the reward for everything you do, but never how help they have now, we wish we would have had that help years ago, it would have been easier for all of us”, added the immigrant.
The $ 5 million will go to fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
These legal services for newly arrived immigrants will begin on October 1st, which is less than a week.
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