Courtesy of NYC
Helping asylum seekers to file asylum applications was first raised in Adams’ “The Road Forward: A Blueprint to Address New York City’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” released this spring.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced the Asylum Application Help Center, which will offer thousands of asylum seekers assistance completing and filing asylum applications.
While the tens of thousands of migrants that have arrived in the five boroughs over the last year seeking shelter have already been paroled into the country by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, many have not officially filled out their asylum applications, delaying their eligibility for work authorization.
Opening in the coming weeks — in consultation with immigration legal service providers and with the initial pro-bono support of the law firms Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP — the Asylum Application Help Center will help thousands of asylum seekers currently in New York City apply for asylum, bringing them one step closer to being eligible for work authorization. Interested asylum seekers will schedule a one-on-one appointment at the application help center, where trained application assistants will work with the applicant to answer questions. Experienced immigration lawyers will be on site to supervise application assistants and provide guidance, and interpreters will be on site to provide in-person language assistance.
Adams also encouraged New Yorkers interested in working at the Asylum Application Help Center to apply immediately.
“We must act swiftly to ensure the well-being of the thousands of migrants whose deadline to submit an asylum application is fast approaching, and this center will help us do that,” Adams said.
According to the administration, the Asylum Application Help Center will operate Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the American Red Cross Greater New York headquarters in Midtown Manhattan by appointment only. The city continues to expand access to immigration assistance for recently arrived immigrants through ongoing and increased investments in its network of contracted immigration legal services providers. In addition to the Asylum Application Help Center, the city will invest $5 million to continue supporting a range of legal providers, including Lutheran Social Services, African Services Committee, Catholic Charities Community Services, and the Pro Se Plus Project (comprised of the New York Legal Assistance Group, Central American Legal Assistance, UnLocal, African Communities Together, Masa, and Catholic Migration Services) operating pro se clinics and hosting information sessions at the American Red Cross Greater New York headquarters.
In the coming weeks, the other support services offered at the Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center — currently operating at the American Red Cross Greater New York headquarters — will transition to the City’s Asylum Seeker Arrival Center based out of The Roosevelt Hotel. These services include City Department of Education school enrollment, Fair Fares enrollment, IDNYC, health insurance enrollment, and access to mental health counseling.
Helping asylum seekers to file asylum applications was first raised in Adams’ “The Road Forward: A Blueprint to Address New York City’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” released this spring.
Since this humanitarian crisis began, the City has opened a total of 175 emergency sites to provide shelter to asylum seekers, including 11 additional large-scale relief centers.
