NEW YORK — The New York Office of Immigration Affairs (MOIA) on Tuesday released a fact sheet in 52 languages about the various resources available to this community, regardless of legal status, on the day that commemorates mother tongue international.
“New York wouldn’t be the amazing city it is without the more than 400 languages spoken in our five boroughs,” Bureau Commissioner Manuel Castro said in a statement.
This factsheet (Resources for New York Immigrants) provides information on where to get free and safe legal help, how to get a city ID card, English lessons, medical and mental health care, and where to enroll immigrant children in a public school.
The guide also outlines what to do in an emergency and states that the police cannot ask questions about the legal status of victims of crime, witnesses or others seeking help. .
In addition to reminding that every immigrant has the right to be housed, it offers clues to report violations of your rights as a tenant and a worker, and advice on how to get help against gender-based violence.
Immigrants can find this information in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Arabic, German, French, Portuguese, Yiddish, and American languages such as Andean Quechua, Mixedca, and Mexican Nahuatl, among others.
“As we observe International Mother Language Day, our office celebrates diversity by ensuring communities can access information and connect with their city in their own language,” Castro said.
International Mother Language Day recognizes that languages and multilingualism can promote inclusion and was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 .