At City Hall, advocates call for $15 million fund to support LGBTQ immigrants
A coalition of LGBTQ organizations gathered with city lawmakers at City Hall on Oct. 6 to call on the city to allocate $15 million to fund legal services for queer immigrants. Led by the Caribbean Equality Project and the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition, advocates packed the steps at City Hall to seek … Read More
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A coalition of LGBTQ organizations gathered with city lawmakers at City Hall on Oct. 6 to call on the city to allocate $15 million to fund legal services for queer immigrants.
Led by the Caribbean Equality Project and the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition, advocates packed the steps at City Hall to seek $7.5 million in funding from the City Council speaker for non-profits to deliver legal services, as well as another $7.5 million from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs to increase services for LGBTQ immigrants.
Non-profit leaders said they are in need of more funding to keep up with increased demand in their ongoing efforts to serve queer immigrants, especially against the backdrop of the Trump administration's aggressive deportation campaign.
"The fight for this fund was inspired by the hundreds of community members who came to us asking for legal services, but we had to say no because we could not provide that service," Mohamed Q. Amin, the Caribbean Equality Project's executive director, said in an interview with Gay City News at the rally. "We know the city and state allocates millions of dollars in immigrant services, but not a single dollar goes specifically to culturally competent LGBTQ immigration services."
[caption id="attachment_65247" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Some signs emphasized themes of diversity, while others made the point that funding, not just Rainbow Flags, can make an impact.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Speaker Julie Menine agreed on the city's $125.8 billion 2027 budget in late June. Amin described the funding push as "probably one of our final chances in this post-budget negotiation process to have the speaker say yes."
Like others, Bianey Garcia, a community organizer at Make the Road New York and a longtime advocate for trans community members, said the funding is necessary to meet the staggering demand for services among immigrants.
"Our community organizations are overwhelmed by the wave of cases of people looking for immigration resources," Garcia said. "We know that if people miss their court date, they are being deported, and we don't need that in our community. We know that so many in our community are escaping their countries because of transphobia [and] homophobia, and we came to New York City because we see New York City as an LGBTQ-welcoming space, so we need to create that space for our community."
[caption id="attachment_65249" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Signs bring urgency to the effort to boost funding for LGBTQ immigrants.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Voces Latinas, Ali Forney Center, New Pride Agenda, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Sex Workers Project, and the Free to Be Youth Project were among other organizations involved in the City Hall rally.
Two out city lawmakers joined the rally — LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Justin Sanchez of the Bronx's District 17 and former LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Crystal Hudson of District 35 in Brooklyn — and they were joined by Councilmembers Alexa Avilés of District 38; Gale Brewer of Manhattan's District 6; Amanda Farías of the Bronx's District 18; and Ty Hankerson of Queens' District 28.
"How are you supposed to navigate the systems that are put in place if you have no one to help you navigate them?" Sanchez asked. "How are you supposed to get your citizenship and do everything right if there's no one to teach you the way? ... Do you have $7.5 million to stand up for your moral values, or are you just going to give us more lip? At the end of the day, I feel like everyone behind me together on these stairs, we are tired of getting lip and it's about time we get some goddamn service."
[caption id="attachment_65248" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Bronx Councilmember Justin Sanchez is the co-chair of the Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus.Donna Aceto[/caption]
The Caribbean Equality Project and the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition outlined their funding request in a Sept. 23 letter addressed to Speaker Menin.
"We applaud the Mayor’s Office and City Council for investing $84.5M in immigration services in FY2027, but were greatly disappointed to see that, yet again, specialized services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants were not explicitly included," noted the letter, which was signed by the City Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus and dozens of LGBTQ organizations and non-profits across New York City.
The letter called for additional legal services for LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers, "know your rights" education and legal clinics, housing assistance, mental health support, language access, and more.
"New York City has long held itself out as a beacon of safety, opportunity, and pride for immigrants and LGBTQIA+ communities," the letter stated. "Real leadership, however, requires more than rhetoric; it requires targeted, meaningful investments that recognize and respond to the lived realities of those facing discrimination, displacement, and systemic inequities."
[caption id="attachment_65250" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Advocates crowd the steps of City Hall on Oct. 6.Donna Aceto[/caption]
A spokesperson for Speaker Menin did not directly respond to a question about whether the speaker supports the funding request.
“Speaker Menin proudly fought alongside her Council colleagues to successfully secure $86.4 million in this year’s budget for immigration services, including legal services — the highest amount ever," a spokesperson for the speaker said in a written statement. "The budget also allocates $5.2 million for LGBTQIA+ services. Speaker Menin will continue to advocate for these local partners and the essential work they do to protect and support our immigrant and LGBTQIA+ neighbors."
A spokesperson for Mayor Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment about whether he supports the funding request. However, one day after this story was published, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Faiza Ali issued a lengthy written statement to Gay City News. It remains unclear where the mayor stands on the issue.
"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in the city they call home," Ali said. "That includes LGBTQIA+ immigrants who came here because they could not safely live as themselves in their home countries. That is why the Mamdani administration secured $5 million for specialized legal services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants, including transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers. When someone has fled persecution, having a lawyer who understands who they are and what they have survived can mean the difference between safety and danger — even life and death. This funding is the result of organizing and advocacy by the Caribbean Equality Project, the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition, and advocates and elected officials across our city. We are grateful to stand alongside them. At a time when queer and trans immigrants are being targeted by the federal government, New York City is making a different choice. We will make sure that no New Yorker has to face that fight alone.”
Some signs emphasized themes of diversity, while others made the point that funding, not just Rainbow Flags, can make an impact.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Speaker Julie Menine agreed on the city's $125.8 billion 2027 budget in late June. Amin described the funding push as "probably one of our final chances in this post-budget negotiation process to have the speaker say yes."
Like others, Bianey Garcia, a community organizer at Make the Road New York and a longtime advocate for trans community members, said the funding is necessary to meet the staggering demand for services among immigrants.
"Our community organizations are overwhelmed by the wave of cases of people looking for immigration resources," Garcia said. "We know that if people miss their court date, they are being deported, and we don't need that in our community. We know that so many in our community are escaping their countries because of transphobia [and] homophobia, and we came to New York City because we see New York City as an LGBTQ-welcoming space, so we need to create that space for our community."
[caption id="attachment_65249" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Signs bring urgency to the effort to boost funding for LGBTQ immigrants.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Voces Latinas, Ali Forney Center, New Pride Agenda, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Sex Workers Project, and the Free to Be Youth Project were among other organizations involved in the City Hall rally.
Two out city lawmakers joined the rally — LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Justin Sanchez of the Bronx's District 17 and former LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Crystal Hudson of District 35 in Brooklyn — and they were joined by Councilmembers Alexa Avilés of District 38; Gale Brewer of Manhattan's District 6; Amanda Farías of the Bronx's District 18; and Ty Hankerson of Queens' District 28.
"How are you supposed to navigate the systems that are put in place if you have no one to help you navigate them?" Sanchez asked. "How are you supposed to get your citizenship and do everything right if there's no one to teach you the way? ... Do you have $7.5 million to stand up for your moral values, or are you just going to give us more lip? At the end of the day, I feel like everyone behind me together on these stairs, we are tired of getting lip and it's about time we get some goddamn service."
[caption id="attachment_65248" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Bronx Councilmember Justin Sanchez is the co-chair of the Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus.Donna Aceto[/caption]
The Caribbean Equality Project and the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition outlined their funding request in a Sept. 23 letter addressed to Speaker Menin.
"We applaud the Mayor’s Office and City Council for investing $84.5M in immigration services in FY2027, but were greatly disappointed to see that, yet again, specialized services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants were not explicitly included," noted the letter, which was signed by the City Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus and dozens of LGBTQ organizations and non-profits across New York City.
The letter called for additional legal services for LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers, "know your rights" education and legal clinics, housing assistance, mental health support, language access, and more.
"New York City has long held itself out as a beacon of safety, opportunity, and pride for immigrants and LGBTQIA+ communities," the letter stated. "Real leadership, however, requires more than rhetoric; it requires targeted, meaningful investments that recognize and respond to the lived realities of those facing discrimination, displacement, and systemic inequities."
[caption id="attachment_65250" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Advocates crowd the steps of City Hall on Oct. 6.Donna Aceto[/caption]
A spokesperson for Speaker Menin did not directly respond to a question about whether the speaker supports the funding request.
“Speaker Menin proudly fought alongside her Council colleagues to successfully secure $86.4 million in this year’s budget for immigration services, including legal services — the highest amount ever," a spokesperson for the speaker said in a written statement. "The budget also allocates $5.2 million for LGBTQIA+ services. Speaker Menin will continue to advocate for these local partners and the essential work they do to protect and support our immigrant and LGBTQIA+ neighbors."
A spokesperson for Mayor Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment about whether he supports the funding request. However, one day after this story was published, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Faiza Ali issued a lengthy written statement to Gay City News. It remains unclear where the mayor stands on the issue.
"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in the city they call home," Ali said. "That includes LGBTQIA+ immigrants who came here because they could not safely live as themselves in their home countries. That is why the Mamdani administration secured $5 million for specialized legal services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants, including transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers. When someone has fled persecution, having a lawyer who understands who they are and what they have survived can mean the difference between safety and danger — even life and death. This funding is the result of organizing and advocacy by the Caribbean Equality Project, the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition, and advocates and elected officials across our city. We are grateful to stand alongside them. At a time when queer and trans immigrants are being targeted by the federal government, New York City is making a different choice. We will make sure that no New Yorker has to face that fight alone.” 
