New York, NY—Today, the Biden administration announced that active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients would soon be able to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance. According to the Centers for Medicine and Medicaid Services, the new rule will result in an estimated 100,000 newly eligible DACA recipients enrolled in a healthcare plan. This decision follows the previous exclusion of DACA recipients from Obamacare benefits. The rule will take effect on November 1, 2024.  Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Everyone deserves a ..read more

Albany, NY—A statewide coalition of more than thirty organizations has announced support for an “Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)” bill. The legislation, led by Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (S8572) and Assemblymember Karines Reyes (A9732) would build on recent efforts to modernize the state’s election system and improve New York’s substandard participation rate in elections compared to other states. View the full letter of support here.  “The Enhanced AVR bill would strengthen New York’s democracy by making voting more accessible to nearly one million eli ..read more

New York, NY—Today, Mayor Eric Adams released his $111.6 billion FY25 Executive Budget.  Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Although Mayor Adams is willing to acknowledge contributions immigrant communities have made to our city, he consistently chooses shortsighted fiscal policies that will impoverish and divide us. Citing the efficacy of his 30- and 60-day shelter limits, Adams callously took an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ position towards our newest arrivals, falsely claiming ‘reducing headcount’ had no negative impact on the families in need. It’s this ..read more

Albany, NY—The New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul are poised to enact a $237 billion budget for FY25, including $2.4 billion for new arrivals. This includes a $64.2 million restoration for legal services funding, $324M million for the Supplemental Empire State Child Credit Payment for lower and middle income families who are currently cut out of the permanent Empire State Child Credit (ESCC), and $9.8 million for Adult Literacy Education (ALE). The Housing Voucher Access Program (HAVP), Coverage for All (C4A) and Language Access Expansion were excluded from the budget. Murad Awawde ..read more

CARE for Immigrant Families Says $150 Million Is Needed for Immigration Legal Services—Along with Passage of the Access to Representation Act—to Protect New Yorkers from Deportation, Family Separations ALBANY – Today, lawmakers allocated $64.2 million for immigrant legal services in the Fiscal Year 2025 New York State budget.This investment falls short of the $150 million required to ensure the long-term well-being of New Yorkers facing deportation and family separation, particularly as the state has welcomed additional asylum seekers and the number of people who have been left to fight deport ..read more

New York, NY—Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams along with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced $514 million in funding for education programs for FY25 that had previously been paid for with federal stimulus funding. This includes $6 million for translation and interpretation services, $17 million for coordinators for students in temporary housing in schools and shelters, $10 million for bilingual programs and $17 million for literacy and dyslexia programs. Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Every child who calls New York home deserves a qua ..read more

New York—Today, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), elected officials, member organizations, allies, and immigrant New Yorkers celebrate the passage of the Language Access Expansion Act in the New York State Senate. Championed by Senator Tim Kennedy (D-63), the State Senate moved to pass the Language Access Expansion Act (S.3381-A / A.7235), extending the current Language Access policy. This legislation will require New York State agencies to provide free interpretation services in the primary language of the individual seeking services. It will also require the translation of docu ..read more

New York, NY—Today, the New York City Council released data showing the negative impacts on childrens’ schooling caused by Mayor Adams’ 60-day asylum seeker family shelter eviction policy. As of March 3, roughly one in five asylum seeker children whose families have received eviction notices were forced to leave the school they were previously attending. This amounts to nearly one thousand asylum seeker children who have had their schooling interrupted mid-year (678 students left the school system entirely, and 302 had to switch schools), despite Adams’ claim that “no child will have their edu ..read more

As Budget Deadline Looms, Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Enact a Budget that Uplifts All New Yorkers Photos & Videos Here Facebook Live Stream Here Albany, NY—Today, the CARE for Immigrant Families coalition rallied with immigrant rights advocates, elected officials,  allies and impacted people at the State Capitol to demand a $150 million investment in immigrant legal services. Advocates also called for passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA), a first-in-the-nation bill that would establish a right to counsel in immigration court, offering families who face ..read more

New York—Long Island residents recently received a mailer in which Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, “so long as I am your County Executive, Nassau will never become a sanctuary county nor spend your tax dollars on services for non-citizens.”  There is a similar statement in his official government biography using the term “illegal aliens.”  Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Communities across Long Island have long been defined by the cultural and economic contributions of immigrant New Yorkers, who pay taxes just like everyone living and w ..read more