Hochul awards $20M to help Caribbean refugees find, maintain employment

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced that $20 million has been awarded to 17 community-based organizations that help Caribbean and other refugees become employed while adjusting to their new homes in New York.

Many of the migrants arriving in New York, after crossing the southern border of the United States, are nationals from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Hochul said the Refugee Support Services Program, which is funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, continues to be “a fundamental part of the state’s successful efforts to resettle refugees in communities across New York.

“New York State has a proud history of welcoming those displaced by violence or fleeing persecution with open arms,” she said. “These investments will lift up refugee communities, and represent our unwavering commitment to the possibility and promise they bring to our state.”

Hochul said the Refugee Support Services Program provides services including addressing barriers to employment, such as social and cultural adjustment, job search skills, work experience and English proficiency.

She said transitional services are also provided to ensure continued employment and to enhance opportunities for advancement.

The governor said the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Refugee Services bureau is responsible for the implementation of programs and services to assist refugees in New York State.

She said federal resources are directed to local entities that help refugees and their families, as well as others in a similar immigration status, to achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “New York’s heritage is heavily influenced by our willingness to accept and help people fleeing persecution, violence, and intolerance abroad. As we recognized World Refugee Day this week, we continue that proud tradition by providing a safe haven for these individuals and families, along with the support they need to start life anew in our state.”

Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “New York has always been a safe haven for individuals fleeing violence and persecution. We recognize the significant contributions of our refugee and immigrant populations, and through the Department of State’s Office for New Americans, we work to support and uplift these individuals as they transition to a new life here in our State. This $20 million award builds on those efforts and will help provide refugees with the tools they need to succeed and thrive in today’s job market.”

Hochul said 17 not-for-profit refugee services providers across the state were awarded funding to provide employment and transitional support services to help recently resettled refugees and their families adapt to life in the U.S.

Recipients include: New York City: Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York – NYC, $802,400; Shorefront YM-YWHA of Brighton-Manhattan Beach Inc., $1,469,300; CAMBA Inc., $400,000; Center for Family Life in Sunset Park Inc., $548,679; and El Barrio’s Operation Fight Back Inc., $410,000.

Long Island: Catholic Charities of Long Island, $288,500; Mid-Hudson: Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York – Metro, $333,500; and Capital Region: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Inc., $1,784,700.

Hochul said New York State welcomed nearly 4,200 refugees or individuals on Special Immigrant Visas between October 2022 through September 2023, with most of these individuals resettling in communities upstate.

The governor said refugees are the most scrutinized and vetted individuals to travel to the United States. Prior to resettling, they undergo numerous security checks by intelligence agencies, including bio-metric tests, medical screenings, and in-person interviews with US Department of Homeland Security officials.

“Refugees living in New York make significant contributions to the state’s economy as earners, taxpayers, and consumers, according to a study by the New American Economy,” Hochul said. “Refugee households earned an estimated $6.2 billion annually and contribute roughly $2 billion in federal, state and local taxes.”

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York Executive Director Monsignor Kevin Sullivan said, “Catholic Charities is pleased to continue its partnership with New York State to provide employment and social support services to newcomers to New York – refugees, those granted asylum, victims of human trafficking, and humanitarian parolees. Those who have arrived to New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley are in need of support to integrate and rebuild their lives in their new home. New immigrants and refugees revitalize and strengthen our communities.”

Center for Family Life In Sunset Park Co-Executive Director Julia Jean-Francois said, “Center for Family Life in Sunset Park is deeply honored to participate in the New York State Refugee Support Services Program, which is being implemented by the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance. We are committed to providing employment supports as well as wrap around social services supports to refugees and their families in Brooklyn, and we are delighted to welcome some of our newest New Yorkers to our vibrant community. Refugees bring their determination, drive, hopes and dreams for bright futures to our City and we see the meaningful contribution that refugees and their family members make every day to a strong and resilient New York.”

CAMBA, Inc. President and CEO Valerie Barton-Richardson said, “As a nonprofit receiving this funding, CAMBA is dedicated to serving refugees, and we are proud to be among the 17 providers across the state to receive funding to support this vulnerable population. Refugees bring immense value to New York State, both culturally and economically, and we are committed to helping them adapt to life in the U.S. With this funding, we can continue providing essential services such as direct job placement and retention support leading to self-sufficiency. These services help refugees build successful lives in their new communities.”

Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday welcomed President Joe Biden’s executive order expanding work authorization for longtime undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants.

On Tuesday, Biden announced new actions that would support the ability of undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants to work and remain in the United States with their families without fear of deportation, while they pursue a pathway to legal status.

Last month, Adams and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson led a coalition of 40 Cities for Action mayors in calling for expanded work authorization for long-term undocumented immigrants.

The letter argued that extending work authorization would be an economic benefit to the entire nation.

On Tuesday, Adams thanked and congratulated Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration as a whole for the “bold, compassionate leadership they have shown over the past few weeks.”

“New York City is a city of immigrants, and, over the past two centuries, millions have come to our city, and our country, in pursuit of the American Dream. They didn’t expect it to be handed to them — they came to work for it,” said Adams, stating that Biden has “brought that dream a step closer to reality for so many once again.

“The executive orders the president has issued over the past few weeks will bring order to the border, relief to cities across the country, and opportunity to millions who have had to work under-the-table, far too often in dangerous jobs that don’t pay living wages because the employees were not able to work legally,” he added.

Adams said immigrants helped by Biden’s executive order on Tuesday are “our neighbors, our community leaders and our parents.

“They have been in the United States for years, paying taxes and enriching the fabric of our country,” he said.

But the mayor said, while President Biden’s executive orders over the past weeks will be “a tremendous help, the fact remains that extreme Republicans in Congress have refused to pass any form of comprehensive immigration reform or appropriate the funding that cities like New York need.

“The time for Congress to put politics aside and reform our immigration system is now,” he said. “Millions of immigrants, thousands of businesses, and a nation built by those who came to our shores ready to work for a better life demand it.”

In making the announcement on Tuesday, Biden said this new process will help certain noncitizen spouses and children apply for lawful permanent residence – “status that they are already eligible for – without leaving the country.”

“These actions will promote family unity and strengthen our economy, providing a significant benefit to the country and helping US citizens and their noncitizen family members stay together,” he said.

In order to be eligible, Biden said noncitizens must – as of Jun. 17, 2024 – have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be legally married to a US citizen, while satisfying all applicable legal requirements.

On average, he said those who are eligible for this process have resided in the US for 23 years.

The president said those who are approved after Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) case-by-case assessment of their application will be afforded a three-year period to apply for permanent residency.

“They will be allowed to remain with their families in the United States and be eligible for work authorization for up to three years,” Biden said. “This will apply to all married couples who are eligible.”

He said this action will protect about half a million spouses of US citizens, and about 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a US citizen.

Biden said the new policy will allow immigrants, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, young people who were brought to America as children, who have earned a degree at an accredited US institution of higher education, and who have received an offer of employment from a US employer in a field related to their degree, to more quickly receive work visas.

“Recognizing that it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the US are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country, the administration is taking action to facilitate the employment visa process for those who have graduated from college and have a high-skilled job offer, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers,” he said.

Biden noted that, 12 years ago, he, as vice president, and President Barack Obama announced the DACA program “to allow our young people to live and work in the only country they’ve called home.”

Since then, he said DACA has provided more than 800,000 Dreamers with the ability to “work lawfully, pursue an education, open businesses, and contribute their enormous talents to make our communities better and stronger.”

“On Day One of my administration, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress to protect Dreamers and their families,” Biden said. “While Vice President (Kamala) Harris and I will continue fighting for our Dreamers, only Congress can provide permanent and lasting stability for them and their families. Congress must still act.”