For years, the language barrier between residents of Chinatown and city employees
For years, the language barrier between residents of Chinatown and city employees has been an issue; recently, police arrested an elderly man playing music in Columbus Park without a permit who did not speak English.
Now, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has released a Chinese (and Spanish) version of the city’s first-ever category_ide to rights and services for immigrants.
The category_ide is a comprehensive resource for informing immigrants of their rights, responsibilities and the proper procedure for using government benefits and services. According to Stringer’s office, the Chinese and Spanish versions of the manual are “crucial in a city where almost half the population speaks a language other than English at home.”
The Immigrant Rights and Services Manual is a whopping 70 pages and has information on topics like workers’ rights, education and voting rights (as well as ways to become involved in city politics, like participating in community boards, education councils, etc).
According to the borough president’s office, here are a few examples of what the manual includes:
New York City policies affecting immigrants, such as Mayoral Executive Order 41 which protects the confidentiality of immigration status and promotes access to services for undocumented immigrants; and Mayoral Executive Order 120, which requires language access for city government;
A description of law enforcement services to protect immigrants from crime, provided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Unit; College financial assistance for undocumented students
“Obtaining comprehensive information like this can be vexing for anyone, but it can be much more so if you are among the nearly 40% of New Yorkers who was born in another country,” Borough President Stringer said in a press release. “We want the immigrants who enrich our city’s economic and cultural vitality to feel welcome, not overwhelmed.”
If you’d like a free copy of the manual, visit mbpo.org or call 212-669-8300.
By Angela Chen, OurChinatown, 6 August 2011.