City To Offer More Immigrant Services After Supreme Court Ruling Halts DACA & DAPA

Pung Ping Chan of Sunset Park says she wants to go back to school to improve her English skills. (Elizabeth Elizalde / Sunset Park Voice)

For Sunset Park resident Pung Ping Chan, an undocumented immigrant from Hong Kong, living the American Dream has brought challenges — but with help from city services, she’s able to learn more about her immigrant rights.

Chan attended her first immigrant information session at the Brooklyn Asian Communities Empowerment center on 620 62nd St., this week to fill out an IDNYC application.

“These sessions are very nice for us,” Chan said. “We have more opportunities to learn more about IDNYC.”

The IDNYC program grants New Yorkers and immigrants with a municipal identification card. Undocumented immigrants have the opportunity to obtain legal identification without fears of deportation, access to a bank account, and citywide benefits.

But Chan also wants to improve her English skills to communicate at her job. “I hope more adult schools open in the area,” Chan said. Her goal is to receive her GED and achieve the level of education she didn’t get back in Hong Kong.

Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, who represents Sunset Park, told the Sunset Park Voice last month that he’s urging the city to fund $16 million to help immigrant New Yorkers learn English through the Adult Literacy Initiative.

Make the Road New York, one of New York’s largest immigrant advocacy groups, released its May budget report and showed that classes could help reduce income inequality in impoverished communities.

Mayor de Blasio’s administration told us that the fiscal 2017 preliminary budget includes $12 million for adult literacy services — some of which is City Council funded.

“Now is the time for immigrants to get connected to their communities as well as important services that are offered by the NYC government,” Commissioner Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) said in a statement.

After the Supreme Court’s disappointing June decision to halt the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs, she said the city is holding more multilingual information sessions across the borough.

“Immigrants in New York City are eligible for services no matter their status,” Agarwal said. She encourages people to sign up for ActionNYC, and ActionHealthNYC for health care services, education, and after-school programs.

There are 26 Enrollment Centers across New York City where you can apply for an IDNYC card, including one in Sunset Park at:

Asian Americans for Equality
807 48th Street, 2nd  Floor
(Corner Of 48th St. & 8th Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

To learn more about English as a Second Language (ESL) courses visit the city’s resource list here, and check for upcoming information sessions at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs page.