Supporting Immigrant Families Supports Child Well-being
Testimony & Public Comments
March 6, 2025
On Thursday, March 6, Policy Associates Juan Diaz and Jenny Veloz with Senior Policy Associate Caitlyn Passaretti submitted testimony to the New York City Council Subcommittee on Immigration. With over half of NYC children having at least one immigrant parent, it is clear that supporting child well-being means protecting and uplifting mixed status and immigrant households. This testimony provides recommendations to fund programs that support immigrant communities and help counter the effects of federal funding cuts and heightened immigration enforcement.
Read the full testimony below.
Testimony of Juan Diaz, Jenny Veloz and Caitlyn Passaretti
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York
Submitted to The New York City Council Subcommittee on Immigration
Preliminary Budget Hearing – Immigration
March 6, 2025
Thank you, Chair Banks, and members of the Committee on Public Housing for the opportunity to submit testimony at this hearing regarding FY26 Preliminary Budget Hearing on Publics Housing.
Since 1944, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York has served as an independent, multi- issue child advocacy organization. CCC does not accept or receive public resources, provide direct services, or represent a sector or workforce; our priority is improving outcomes for children and families through civic engagement, research, and advocacy. We document the facts, engage and mobilize New Yorkers, and advocate for solutions to ensure that every New York child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe.
Over half of New York City households have at least one immigrant parent. New York City immigrant and mixed-status families already face far more barriers to access to services and programs due to language and eligibility criteria. A recent CCC report revealed that immigrants are five times more likely than citizens to lack health insurance. The same reports highlighted that immigrant children are enrolled less in early childhood education programs than their peers and English Language Learners in public schools have the lowest passing rates in state tests.[i]
The actions of the federal administration have already done far-reaching harm to New York’s immigrant communities. Heightened ICE enforcement, rescinding guidelines deterring ICE from conducting raids in “sensitive” locations like churches and schools, and attacks on sanctuary cities are just some of the federal actions that have directly impacted the lives of immigrant communities in our city. Fear of deportation has led children to stop attending school[ii], and families are afraid to access health services and other essential benefits they are eligible for.[iii] Moreover, proposed federal funding cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid will even further limit access to life-saving programs for mixed-status families.
Now more than ever, New York leaders must fund programs that support immigrant communities and help counter the effects of federal funding cuts and heightened immigration enforcement. We urge you to take the following actions in the CFY26 Budget to support the needs of New York’s immigrant children and families.
City Investments
Housing Supports
CCC is a steering committee member of the Family Homeless Coalition (FHC), a coalition comprised of 20 organizations representing service and housing providers, children’s advocacy organizations, and people with lived experience with family homelessness. We are united by the goal of preventing family homelessness, improving the well-being of children and families in shelter, and supporting the long-term stability of families with children who leave shelter.
We urge city leaders to take the following steps to support immigrant communities:
- Implement and fund the CityFHEPS expansion, which would significantly remove administrative and eligibility barriers and would expedite access to housing support for families in the community and in shelters, regardless of immigration status.
- Eliminate the 60-day rule for migrant families with children. 60 days is not sufficient time for shelter staff to work with families to secure public benefits assistance and find permanent housing, and migrant students often miss weeks of school due to mid-year transfers. As such, the 60-day rule should be eliminated to provide sufficient time for migrant families with children to gain self-sufficiency and thrive.
- Invest $625,000 for Youth-specific Immigration Legal Services for young people within the Runaway and Homeless Youth system.
Enhance Legal Services and Community Outreach
- Invest $80 million for Legal Services for Migrant Families. We urge the City Council to advocate for more legal resources to prevent family separation and more suffering for migrant children and families.
- Baseline $5 million to maintain the citywide Community Interpreter Bank (NYC Interpreter Bank)
- Baseline $4 million in funding for Immigrant Family Communications and Outreach at the Department of Education
Early Care and Education
- Baseline $25 million for Promise NYC for children ineligible for other child care vouchers due to immigration status.
- Protect 3K and PreK – which are essential free ECE options available to immigrant families – by taking the following steps:
- Restore and baseline $112 million for 3K programs
- Restore and baseline $25 million for ECE Extended Day Expansion
- Restore and baseline $5 million for outreach and education regarding Early Care and Education options, and enhance community-based, multilingual outreach to immigrant communities
- Restore and baseline $55 million for Additional Special Education Pre-K Classes
Enhance Economic Security
- Invest $3 million in Workforce Development Programming for immigrants.
- Expand Fair Fares to 200 FPL and baseline $54.2 million, to ensure that all low-income families have access to public transportation
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. We look forward to working together to support the needs of New York City’s immigrant families.
