Mutual Aid NYC Newsletter Returns! Immigration: Safety, Legal, and Advocacy; Resources We Recommend
Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2025
MUTUAL AID NYC NEWSLETTER RETURNS!
WE’RE BACK! with a regular missive, to keep you connected to all the ways you can get involved, stay up to date and get the resources you or your neighbors need.
What has Mutual Aid NYC been up to?
So much! A lot of reorganizing, a lot of housekeeping and a lot of thinking about how we can better support New Yorkers that work hard for a safer, healthier, more stable and well-connected city.
What we do here:
Focus on a major area of concern each month, beginning with Immigration.
Share listings in our Community Resources Library that reflect the area of focus.
Once a month, highlight an individual or group that stands out in this area for the mutual aid work they’re doing.
Anything you want to see? Stuff you want to know about?
We’re here for YOU → Please fill out this form with any critiques, comments, suggestions or questions!
And check out our website to learn more about what Mutual Aid NYC has done and what we plan to do; and if you want to volunteer with us, there’s a spot for that too!
IMMINENT ISSUE! IMMIGRATION: SAFETY, LEGAL, and ADVOCACY
NYC 311 Know Your Rights still claims that “all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, have rights and protections under the law”.1 But the inalienability of these rights is being sorely tested, Sanctuary City or not. Between January and mid-June, ICE arrested 2,009 immigrant New Yorkers, spiking sharply as of May.2 Reflecting a national shift in focus from those sought for criminal offenses to people without any legal entanglements, sometimes not even immigration violations.3 Masked agents scoped out immigration proceedings and kidnapped many outright. The NYPD hasn’t turned to arresting people for immigration violations yet, unlike some NY State law enforcement agencies, including our close neighbor Nassau County.4
For its part though, NYPD has detained and arrested hundreds of pro-immigrant rights protesters in recent months, including more than a dozen lawmakers attempting to conduct an oversight visit at 26 Federal Plaza on September 18.5 At this ICE processing facility (not a designated detention center), people are held in several cells without beds, adequate space, or privacy. They are denied food, drink, bathing facilities, medical care, communication with loved ones, and legal support for days, if not longer.6 No one seems to be safe from being targeted, criminalized, and thus abused, not even school-age children.7
Rest assured, immigrant rights organizers, mutual aid groups, and people of conscience like you are stepping up in protest and organizing to defend, protect, and serve the vulnerable at this critical moment. This week, the Mutual Aid NYC Newsletter highlights 5 amazing resources in our Community Resources Library that provide Safety, Legal, and Advocacy assistance to immigrants, migrants, asylum seekers, their families, and communities. Help us help each other ~ connect, refer, volunteer, donate, and spread the word about the initiatives below or search the entire Community Resources Library!
RESOURCES WE RECOMMEND! IMMIGRATION: SAFETY, LEGAL, and ADVOCACY
Womankind - free, confidential anti-violence chat and hotline in multiple languages
Womankind specializes in serving Asian survivors of gender-based violence. They offer both virtual and in-person assistance to survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and sexual violence. Their work encompasses supportive counseling, legal assistance, emergency housing/shelter, and wellness groups. Free help is available in over 18 Asian languages and dialects, along with English and Spanish. Womankind is here to assist you in building a path to healing.
Make the Road New York - free downloadable deportation defense manual
Make the Road New York is a multi-faceted organization focused on creating concrete, systematic change for our community. This organization identifies as a safe haven for everyone regardless of immigration status, race, or gender identity. Their programming encompasses Legal and Survival Services, such as the manual linked above, Transformative Education, such as English classes and civics education, Community Organizing, and Policy Innovation, such as improving access to healthcare for immigrants. Make the Road New York has centers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
MinKwon Center for Community Action - hotline and legal services for immigrants
MinKwon Center is the premier immigrant rights and services community-based organization for Korean Americans, Asian Americans, and the broader immigrant community in New York. Their main focus is achieving economic and social justice for everyone. They specialize in Advocacy and Community Organizing, Civic Participation, Social Services, Youth Organizing, and Culture. You can call their hotline at 718-460-5600 for help with benefits enrollment, setting up vaccination appointments, immigration services, food, medicine, and rental assistance.
Sakhi for South Asian Women - hotline for gender-based violence in multiple languages
Sakhi for South Asian Women serves the South Asian community in a survivor-led movement for gender justice. They offer direct services, advocacy, organizing, technical assistance, and community outreach. You can contact their helpline on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10am-10pm. They are available for a full 24 hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can call 212-868-6741, text 305-204-1809, or email advocate@sakhi.org for assistance. For after-hours help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Immigrant Defense Project - resources and hotline for immigrant communities
Immigrant Defense Project fights to end the mass criminalization, detention, and deportation of immigrants through advocacy, litigation, legal advice and training, community defense, grassroots alliances, and strategic communications. Their Know Your Rights material provides information, trainings, legal resources, and FAQs for communities impacted by ICE stops and raids. Their Criminal-Immigration Helpline serves immigrants and their loved ones who are affected by the criminal system, including immigrants who have been arrested, ticketed, or convicted of a crime. Call the helpline for limited immigration legal advice and information, referrals for free immigration legal services, and referrals for private immigration attorneys. The helpline is not live. Leave a voicemail with your name and number at any time and a staff member or volunteer will contact you. You can reach them at 212-725-6422. Before you call, have the information about the person who needs assistance available.