New York City As a Model for Successful Immigrant Integration

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New York City As a Model for Successful Immigrant
Integration

• Presenters
• Azadeh Khalili, Deputy Commissioner
• Tammy Arnstein, Director of Language Access

NEW YORK CITY MAYORS OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• A Growing Foreign Born Population
• History of the Office
• New York City Charter Mandate
• Current Mission
• Functions
• Integration Agenda
• Elements of New York Citys Approach to
  Integration
• Language Access
• Emerging Issues

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A Growing Foreign-born Population

• A new peak of 2.9 million foreign-born New
  Yorkers in 2000

4
Source Countries for the Twenty Largest
Immigrant Groups in New York City

• 1. Dominican Republic 11. Italy2. China
  12. Korea3. Jamaica 13.
  Ukraine4. Guyana 14. India
  5. Mexico 15. Poland 6.
  Ecuador 16. Philippines 7. Haiti
  17. Bangladesh8. Trinidad
  Tobago 18. Pakistan9. Columbia 19.
  Honduras10. Russia 20. Greece
• fastest growing immigrant groups in NYC

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History of MOIA

• 1984 Mayor Edward I. Koch establishes the
  Office of Immigrant Affairs in the
  Department of City Planning.
• 1990 Mayor David N. Dinkins establishes the
  Office within the Mayoralty
• 1994 Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani merges the
  offices of Immigrant Affairs and Language
  Services to create the Mayors Office of
  Immigrant Affairs and Language Services.
• 2001 New York City voters adopt, by
  referendum, the Office of Immigrant Affairs
  within the charter.
• 2002 Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appoints the
  Offices first Commissioner.

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NEW YORK CITY CHARTER MANDATE

• Advise and assist the Mayor and the Council in
  developing and implementing policies designed to
  assist immigrants
• 2. Enhance the accessibility of City services to
  immigrants by establishing programs to inform and
  educate them
• 3. Manage a citywide list of translators and
  interpreters to facilitate communication between
  city agencies and non-English speakers.

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CURRENT MISSION

• To promote the well-being of immigrant
  communities by recommending policies and programs
  that facilitate successful integration of
  immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic,
  and cultural life of the City.

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FUNCTIONS

• Seize/create opportunities to advance immigrant
  integration agenda within the administration
• Language Access
• Advise the Mayor and the Deputy Mayors on all
  policy matters
• Health, Education, Housing, economic development
  and Child welfare
• Other City , State and Federal issues and
  policies
• Day laborer job sites
• Municipal ID card
• Trafficking
• Immigration Reform
• DREAM ACT
• REAL ID Act

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FUNCTIONS

• Broker meetings and facilitate dialogue between
  immigrant leaders and key City Officials
• Chancellor and immigrant education leaders
• TLC Commissioner and Taxi drivers
• Campaign/Special Events
• Immigrant History Week 50 events
• Diversity Lottery Awareness and organize
  application assistance
• Open letter to immigrants re access to health
  care
• Immigrant assistance Fraud Campaign with City
  Department of Consumer Affairs

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FUNCTIONS

• Celebration/recognition of immigrant groups
• Arab, Asian, Caribbean, Dominican , Greek ,
  Hispanic, Italian, Russian, and South Asian
  heritages Nowrooz, Lunar New Year, etc.
• Provide Technical Assistance to City Agencies
• Improve services to immigrant communities
• Address a specific concern/issue
• Reach a specific community
• Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign
• Constituent immigration services
• Backlog green card applications

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INTEGRATION AGENDA

• LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
• Many cities have pro-immigrant policies because
  they recognize that immigrants are assets
• Revitalize economies
• Meet employers demand for workers (skilled
  low-wage unskilled)
• Stabilize neighborhoods (population economy)

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MANAGING INTEGRATION LOCALLY

• Specific integration policies are needed because
• Many newcomers are limited English proficient
• Cultural barriers/differences can isolate
  families
• Newest residents lack access to services
• Workers often employed in unsafe conditions
• Families experience high rates of poverty
• Immigrants vulnerable to exploitation
• Large marginalized populations bad for public
  health and social well-being

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BASIC RIGHTS

• Human Rights
• Constitutional Rights
• Confidentiality(EO41)
• Labor Laws and Workplace rights
• Minimum wage and overtime
• Illegal deductions
• OSHA
• Workplace compensation
• Discrimination
• Retaliation and the Rights to Organize
• Industry specific violations

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ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT GOVERNEMNT SERVICES

• 311
• 311 is New York City's phone number for
  government information and non-emergency
  services.
• Available in 170 languages
• All calls to 311 are answered by a live operator,
  24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Immediate access to translation services in 170
  languages
• 311 Call Center Representatives use a
  state-of-the-art database of information and
  services about City government.
• The 311 call center can quickly scale to meet
  City demands in an emergency situation.

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311's mission

• Provide the public with quick, easy access to all
  New York City government services and information
  while maintaining the highest possible level of
  customer service.
• Help agencies improve service delivery by
  allowing them to focus on their core missions and
  manage their workload efficiently.
• Provide insight into ways to improve City
  government through accurate, consistent
  measurement and analysis of service delivery
  Citywide.

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EDUCATION POLICY

• Universal Enrollment in Pre-K -12
• In-State Resident Tuition at all State and City
  Universities
• Free/government funded ESOL and English language
  literacy classes

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HEALTH CARE POLICY

• Medicaid for all pregnant women up to 250 of
  poverty level
• Child Health Plus for all children up to 400 of
  poverty level and to 18 year old
• All NYC residents have access to free emergency
  care
• Public hospital system (HHC) has received
  hundreds of millions of dollars in public
  subsidies to care for the uninsured.

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FUNDING OF COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS

• Department of Health
• Department of Youth and Community Development
• Domestic Violence Counseling
• After-School Programs
• Immigration Legal Services
• ESOL and GED
• Department of Education
• Administration of Childrens Services
• Childcare Centers
• Small Business Services
• Workforce development grants (ESOL classes)
• Small business loans

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LANGUAGE ACCESS

• Set of policies, plans, and services that
• help agencies ensure meaningful access to
• city services for limited English proficient
  residents.

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Legal Framework for Language Access

• Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
• President's Executive Order 13166 (2000)
• DOJ Federal Title VI Guidance (2001/2)
• Local Law 73 (2003)

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MOIAs Language Access Role

• Provide technical assistance and guidance to city
  agencies to help them implement language access
  services
• Coordinate the Interagency Task Force on Language
  Access
• Oversee the 5-year implementation of Local Law 73
• Administer the Citywide Volunteer Language Bank

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Contact Information

• Azadeh Khalili
• Deputy Commissioner
• Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs
• Tel [phone]
• Email akhalili_at_cityhall.nyc.gov