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MOIA keeps FY26 baseline; plans new legal support centers, consolidates asylum assistance; council presses on funding specifics and capacity
Summary
Commissioner Manuel Castro told Council that MOIA’s FY26 executive budget is about $29.6 million, preserves baseline funding and includes a new MOIA legal support centers initiative and other one‑time additions; council members pressed for vendor lists, how the new centers will be staffed, and questioned the impacts of federal funding cuts.
The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs told the City Council that its FY26 executive budget is approximately $29.6 million and said the office will preserve baseline programs while launching a new model of neighborhood legal support centers.
Commissioner Manuel Castro said MOIA will use executive plan funds to establish 25 MOIA immigration legal support centers in immigrant‑dense neighborhoods and extend existing legal providers’ contracts into a coordinated centers model. He described the centers as a consolidation and expansion of previous initiatives such as Action NYC and the asylum support programs but stressed the new model will place services geographically closer to immigrants and include a legal technical mentorship component to build capacity with smaller community‑based providers.
MOIA said the executive plan includes a mix of baseline and one‑time funding: baseline legal services funding of roughly $7.9 million plus additional executive additions that together increase legal service investment in the exec plan. MOIA also reported one‑time additions including $5 million tied to asylum seeker legal assistance and $2.8 million for asylum seeker navigation resources in the executive plan. Commissioner Castro said the MOIA hotline — run in partnership with Catholic Charities — received over 64,000 calls in 2024.
Council members repeatedly asked for lists of selected vendors, staffing ratios and whether the newer centers will replicate, replace or overlap with previously contracted providers. MOIA said it had notified providers of extension offers, that vendor selections for the new centers would be shared shortly, and that master agreements and contract registration with MOCS were in progress.
Council members also pressed MOIA on cuts or instability in federal funding for unaccompanied minors and for programs previously run by the state and federal governments. MOIA said it is coordinating with city agencies, the state Office of New Americans and community partners, but noted the loss of federal contracts for unaccompanied minors has created an urgent funding gap.
Why it matters: The city’s immigrant legal services network remains the primary safety net for thousands of noncitizens facing complex immigration proceedings. Council members and providers warned the scale of federal cuts and contract transitions will leave many clients and children without counsel unless the city fills gaps or stabilizes funding.
Ending: MOIA committed to providing the Council a vendor list, contract and staffing details and to continue interagency coordination; council members said they would review MOIA follow‑up documentation before budget adoption.
