Opinion: NYC’s Budget Must Include Immigrants for the Success of Our City

“With legal services to obtain work authorizations, language access so they can navigate our government bureaucracy, childcare so they can go to work, and education so their kids can get on the pathway to future success, immigrant families will be able to contribute even more to our city.”

It’s been almost two years since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started sending asylum seekers on buses to New York City. Since that time, New York has welcomed and integrated thousands of new arrivals—people seeking safety and opportunity, ready and willing to work.

It’s not easy to adjust to a new city, especially when Mayor Eric Adams continues to scapegoat immigrants for ills that they had no hand in creating. He even went so far as to claim that recent immigrants will “destroy our city.” That statement has not—and will not—become our reality. We know from previous generations that our newest neighbors have so much to offer to revitalize New York’s economy and culture.

Think about the massive economic contributions that immigrants already make here. Almost a third of all businesses in New York are owned by immigrants. Can anyone imagine a New York City without our rich culture of bodegas and neighborhood restaurants? With nearly 3 million immigrants in our workforce, immigrant New Yorkers contribute over $68 billion in taxes— which help pay for our schools, hospitals and roadways—and have a spending power of over $153 billion. 

Now, think about how we can support immigrant New Yorkers to multiply these contributions. With legal services to obtain work authorizations, language access so they can navigate our government bureaucracy, childcare so they can go to work, and education so their kids can get on the pathway to future success, immigrant families will be able to contribute even more to our city.

Navigating our country’s immigration system is complicated. Without access to a lawyer, it can be a near-impossible task for newcomers to apply for asylum and Temporary Protective Status and receive their work authorizations. An unprecedented half of all New York City immigration cases had no legal representation in 2022 and 2023. By investing $109 million in immigration legal services, recent arrivals can begin working the jobs that our city desperately needs filled and longtime New Yorkers can get the help they need to manage immigration status changes or other issues. With over 150,000 people moving out of the five boroughs and the State Department of Labor identifying nearly 50,000 jobs available specifically to asylum seekers, it is clear this investment would be a huge benefit to New York. 

All families need a safe place to leave their kids while they work. The Promise NYC program has been successful in providing childcare for immigrant New Yorkers, but there is more work to be done to expand its reach. For instance, we’ve heard from some families that selling candy in the subways is their only feasible option because they need to watch their kids while they’re working. By investing $25 million in Promise NYC, we can ensure that more families have a safe and affordable place for their young children to go while their parents work. For school-age kids, investing $800,000 for the First Step and Project Soaring programs to support English Language Learners will mean the difference between thriving at school, or fumbling through classes not catered to their needs.

Many of the programs New York City has in place to support low-income New Yorkers are inaccessible to people who speak little or no English. We have already seen amazing success in the city’s recent investments in language access, in which expert community translators who speak a range of Latin America, Asian and African languages are able to help make sure all New Yorkers can receive information from city agencies. We must invest $5 million in language access to continue this vital work and ensure that government services and information continue to be accessible to all New Yorkers.

New York City must build an infrastructure for the success of all families, no matter how long they’ve been here or how much money they make. If the city makes investments now, all New Yorkers will have the basic building blocks they need to begin contributing to our city’s economy. Immigrants have long been the defining characteristic of New York City—tourists come here to experience cultures from around the world and sample the restaurants, theater, and concerts that have been shaped by the contributions of immigrant New Yorkers. 

We call on the mayor and New York City Council to recognize this fact by investing in the future success of our city and our immigrant neighbors. As our elected leaders hash out next year’s budget with the mayor, the City Council must continue to fight for a New York where all families can thrive.

Murad Awawdeh is the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.