WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) led six of their New York colleagues in sending a letter to United States Customs and Immigration Services asking them to expand USCIS Support Centers to New York and ensure that all asylum-seekers and refugees would be able to utilize these services. These centers would provide essential wraparound services, including legal support, housing, nutrition, and more. 

“Migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion, and that starts by providing them with wraparound services that meet their needs,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16). “Housing, legal support, and nutrition services are basic rights. We have already proven that in times of crisis we have the ability to step up and provide critical services to refugees and asylum-seekers. Now, it’s time to expand those services so that allasylum-seekers and refugees have the access and opportunity that they need. We need bold, visionary leadership to positively transform our immigration system. I hope that this letter will be one of many steps towards an immigration system that centers compassion, respect, and empathy for our migrant neighbors in New York and around the country.” 

“Asylum seekers and refugees come to the United States seeking a better future for themselves and their families, and they deserve to have access to the vital services USCIS Support Centers provide,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am proud to fight so all asylum seekers and refugees in New York are provided with the resources and services needed to build a brighter future.”

“USCIS Support Centers can provide critical resources for migrants and asylum-seekers in their hour of need,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “New York City has done its job and stepped up its services in response to the ongoing influx of migrants and asylum-seekers to our City, to try to ensure that their most basic needs, such as food and housing, are met. Adding USCIS Support Centers in New York City would be a tremendous relief, and would ensure that asylum seekers receive services owed to them by law.”  

Click here to read the letter.

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