MOIA Commissioner Outlines Community Engagement and Ethnic Media Roundtables
MOIA Commissioner Faiza Ali concludes her testimony by detailing community engagement workshops and ethnic media roundtables, emphasizing that immigrant New Yorkers are central to the city's story.
On community engagement, finally, I wanted to share that Moya's community engagement work helps immigrant New Yorkers access services, understand their rights, and stay connected to trusted information during a time of heightened fear and uncertainty.
Through our immigrant rights workshops, Moya staff deliver presentations that connect community organizations and their members to free, high-quality immigration legal services and know your rights resources.
In FY26, the program delivered over 300 presentations, reaching over 7,000 people citywide, continuing our critical work, reaching diverse communities where they are.
Moya also continues to strengthen relationships with trusted ethnic and community media outlets that serve as immigrant New Yorkers that serve immigrant New Yorkers in multiple languages.
In the past year, Moya has led 10 community and ethnic media roundtables to share critical information through hyperlocal and television newspapers and television stations that immigrant communities rely on for timely and accurate information.
So far during my tenure, we have convened three such round tables with additional sessions scheduled for this summer.
In conclusion, Moya was created to ensure New Yorkers can fully, that immigrant New Yorkers can fully participate in the civic, economic, and cultural life of the city.
And that mission is especially important and critical during periods of rapid policy change and growing uncertainty for immigrant communities.
Meeting this moment requires strong coordination across agencies, deep partnership with community based organizations, and continued investment in the systems that help immigrant New Yorkers access services, understand their rights, and remain connected to their neighborhoods and opportunities.
As the needs facing immigrant communities continue to evolve, Moya will remain focused on building trust, on strengthening that coordination, and ensuring New York City remains a place where immigrant families can live with dignity, safety, and opportunity.
Finally, I want to thank the city's dedicated public servants, many who are in this room and make these hearings run, and our community partners for their continued support and responding every day to the needs of both recently arrived and long-standing immigrant New Yorkers.