City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Members, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), and community partners announced the launch of New York City’s first-ever Community Interpreter Bank and the Protect NYC Families initiative on the steps of City Hall.
The NYC Community Interpreter Bank centralizes interpretation services available to immigrants across the five boroughs and will recruit, train, and dispatch interpreters to City-funded legal service providers, community navigation sites, and City Council offices. Interpreters fluent in the most commonly requested languages will help ensure that every immigrant in the city can access services and information in their preferred language. In Fiscal Year 2025, the Council allocated $1.4 million to initiate the Community Interpreter Bank.
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Through the Protect NYC Families initiative, the Council allocated over $2 million in funding to over 60 nonprofit organizations to provide more support for increased legal services, rapid response efforts, helplines, and critical community trainings. This new funding will allow providers to expand their capacity and respond to evolving challenges facing New York City’s immigrant communities. This funding comes as nonprofit providers continue to face overwhelming demand for services given escalating federal immigration enforcement and abrupt policy shifts. A list of organizations receiving funding can be found here in Chart 19.
“New York City is a proud city of immigrants, and we must support our city’s families from attacks by the Trump administration,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is proud to allocate more than $2 million in emergency funding for our Protect NYC Families Initiative, which will provide flexible funding for dozens of non-profit organizations that serve immigrant New Yorkers. We are also proud to celebrate the Council’s investments to create the city’s first Community Interpreter Bank, which will help ensure that services are available in the languages that residents speak. I thank my Council colleagues, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the many partner organizations whose work is critical to protecting and strengthening our city.”
“Language interpretation services are a vital pillar of a healthy, thriving, and diverse New York City, for both new and long-term immigrants navigating complex systems in an unfamiliar language. The NYC Community Interpreter Bank ensures these individuals can access critical services in their preferred language while also creating a direct pipeline to employment for New Yorkers trained in interpretation,” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO of New York Immigration Coalition. “We are deeply grateful to the New York City Council and our partners for their vision and investment, recognizing the vital role of language access in fostering a more inclusive city.”
A pivotal component of the Language Justice Collaborative’s “Language Access Workforce Initiative,” the NYC Community Interpreter Bank will create sustainable pathways for community members to gain certification and employment as interpreters to provide essential language services to limited English proficient (LEP) New Yorkers. The LJC is led by the NYIC, African Communities Together (ACT), Asian American Federation (AAF), Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP), and Masa.
The second of its kind in the country, and the first in the state, the NYC Community Interpreter Bank will recruit interpreters from all over the city including from other worker-owned language cooperatives and interpreters who have completed CUNY Hostos interpreter certification courses. Eligible interpreters will either be contracted with one of the co-ops and certified by their cooperative or have completed Hostos Community College’s first-ever Community Interpreter Certification course. These interpreters will work as independent contractors, delivering vital language services across the city.
Recognizing the diverse and growing immigrant population in New York City, the City Council allocated funding through the Language Access Workforce Initiative to establish the NYC Community Interpreter Bank in FY 2025. The investment acknowledges the vital role of language access in fostering a more inclusive city and addressing the unique challenges faced by asylum seekers arriving in unprecedented numbers. For more information on the Language Access Workforce Initiative and the NYC Community Interpreter Bank, visit www.languagejustice.nyc
“The New York City Community Interpreter Bank will greatly expand language access to our vibrant immigrant communities, enabling people to more easily receive legal services from city-funded partners, receive translation services at community navigation sites, and get support from local City Council offices,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles, Chair of the Committee on Immigration. “Not only will translation services now be dispatched to meet people on site, this program will open up new job opportunities to multilingual New Yorkers. This, alongside the roughly $2 million in new funding that the Council is distributing across immigration service providers to expand their programs, will equip our immigrant neighbors with greater resources during a terrifying political moment. At a time when our communities are expressing need, the Council is being responsive in distributing funds to vulnerable community members. I’m proud to stand alongside immigration advocates in implementing these new initiatives. Together, we are re-affirming our status as a sanctuary city and protecting the millions of immigrants that make our city whole.”
“Today, we’re taking steps to advance true language justice across the five boroughs with the launch of the first Community Interpreter Bank in New York City, an initiative that I’ve championed since my early days as an elected official,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “New York City is the most linguistically diverse city in the world, but for too long, we’ve relied on outsourcing translation and interpretation services, a model that has failed to meet the needs of our immigrant communities. Every New Yorker, regardless of the language they speak, deserves to be heard, understood, and included. This initiative will help transition our City’s lagging language infrastructure to a community-driven, comprehensive approach to language access. I’m especially excited to see the rollout of this program in immigrant neighborhoods like Kensington’s Little Bangladesh, where I grew up and now represent and the need for language access resources is particularly urgent.”
“Immigrants have shaped New York City into a global beacon of hope and opportunity over the last 400 years and the City Council is committed to honoring that legacy,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera. “Deepened investments in immigration-related legal services ensures that every New Yorker, regardless of status, feels supported and protected as they navigate the court system. Our city will come together to defend our neighbors and challenge federal policies that restrict asylum or expand expedited removal.”
“As we all know, this is a time of growing uncertainty and fear for many immigrant families,” said Council Member Sandra Ung. “With deportations on the rise and ever-changing immigration policies, it has never been more important to ensure that our communities have access to the resources and protections they need. No one should have to live in fear because they don’t have access to information or services in their own language. No family should be forced to face deportation proceedings without the legal representation they deserve. These initiatives represent the very best of what we stand for as a city, and the New York City Council is committed to supporting the community organizations working tirelessly to provide these essential services.”
“New York City is a city of immigrants,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “This is a city where people travel from faraway places to pursue their dreams, where neighbors come from different countries, have different life experiences and speak different languages. That diversity is what makes New York so special; we learn from each other and create a rich cultural fabric by living side by side. Today the Council is amplifying that diversity and uplifting our immigrant communities, which is especially important in a time when so many of our neighbors are fearful of the rhetoric in our country. New York will always be a home for them, and we are committing to that again today.”
“As a body, The City Council has stood firm in its support of our immigrant communities across the five boroughs,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “While legislation and advocacy are vital in improving the lives of millions of New Yorkers, these budget initiatives will deliver tangible change and work to protect some of our most vulnerable populations. Information is currency, and we must do everything we can to ensure every New Yorker has full access to available resources and services—including in the languages they speak. New York has always been a city for all, and I commend Speaker Adams, Deputy Speaker Ayala, and Council Member Aviles for standing firm for a more inclusive NYC.”
“At this critical juncture, there is an increased need for legal services and information dissemination as ICE spreads fear in our communities,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “Over a third of New Yorkers are immigrants, and it is our responsibility to invest in their safety. Through the Protect NYC Families initiative, the Council provides support to community organizations that have already been on the front lines fending for families against immoral policies such as NMIC in District 10. We will continue to denounce illegal and immoral acts pushed by the Trump agenda because New York City doesn’t bend to bullies.”
“Language accessibility is vital for the immigrant community, especially in these challenging times,” said Arlette Cepeda, Deputy Director, La Colmena. “Initiatives like the interpreter banks, led by immigrants themselves, are crucial. It’s not just about breaking language barriers; it’s about ensuring cultural competency as well. This initiative embodies that mission, with immigrants leading the way in interpretation because they understand firsthand the significance of this work.”
“The Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) is proud to be a part of the transformative Language Justice Collaborative,” said Elsie Saint Louis, CEO, Haitian Americans United for Progress. “Creating a Haitian language services worker cooperative empowers our community by combining economic opportunity with cultural preservation. This initiative ensures that Haitian Creole speakers can access essential services in their native language while contributing to a more inclusive and equitable New York City.”
“It is an honor to be partnered with NYIC and all the member organizations of the Language Justice Collaborative, as this historic Community Interpreter Bank is launched in New York City,” said Camille Mackler, Executive Director, Immigrant-ARC. “Language access plays a vital role in enabling our immigrant community members to access effective legal representation and access to justice. We at I-ARC are grateful for the opportunity to further the organization’s mission as the interpreter bank initiative will allow those in our legal services provider network to access trained and certified interpreters in a wide array of languages which will be essential in the days ahead.”
“Since its founding, Mixteca has been committed to breaking down language barriers for immigrant communities, particularly for indigenous language speakers who often face unique challenges accessing critical services,” said Lorena Kourousias, Executive Director, Mixteca Organization, Inc. “The launch of the NYC Community Interpreter Bank is a pivotal step toward ensuring that all New Yorkers, regardless of their native language, can navigate city systems with dignity and ease. We are proud to support this initiative and continue our advocacy for language access and cultural inclusion.”
“Language access is not just a convenience—it’s a lifeline,” said Ahyoung Kim, Director of Economic Empowerment, Asian American Federation. “With 43% of Asian New Yorkers being limited English proficient, language access is the biggest challenge and barrier our communities face when using essential city services. The NYC Community Interpreter Bank is a transformative step in making sure that every New Yorker can access the resources they need, no matter what languages they speak. AAF welcomes the launch of this project, and is proud to be working with our partners on this critical effort to build a worker-owned cooperative for Asian language interpreters.”
“New York City’s beautiful diversity has been stifled by the significant barriers to language access, particularly for our communities who speak Languages of Limited Diffusion (LLDs),” said Maimouna Dieye, Program Manager, African Communities Together. “The NYC Community Interpreter Bank is a huge leap forward in our collective work to build a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient community here in New York City. African Communities Together looks forward to continuing to work closely with the city and partners to push forward more equitable solutions to language inaccessibility.
“As we talk about language access, the City Council’s investment of $2M for the Protecting NYC Families Funding Initiative will be critical in equipping 60 community-based organizations to provide rapid response services to immigrant New Yorkers in various languages. For Asian New Yorkers, nearly half of whom have limited English proficiency, having access to accurate information, resources, and trainings in their native language will provide them with more choice and safety.
Maimouna Dieye continued, “Thank you to City Council leadership for this important investment. It’s a critical step in the right direction, and we urge City Council leadership to significantly expand funding to properly strengthen immigrant-serving organizations to build up their rapid response services so we can provide greater protections for all vulnerable immigrant New Yorkers.”
“In just nine short days since the Inauguration, we have witnessed a relentless wave of executive actions aimed at mass deportations, retribution, and the destabilization of the rule of law,” said McGregor Smyth, Executive Director of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. “The human cost to immigrant New Yorkers will be devastating. Community-based organizations, nonprofits, faith institutions, and businesses serving or employing immigrants will form a crucial shield. However, these entities will also become direct targets of federal agencies conducting raids, suppressing advocacy, and cutting essential services to immigrants. With the leadership and expanded support from our allies in the City Council, nonprofit partners, and member law firms, NYLPI will provide urgent legal counsel to immigrant New Yorkers and establish a resource center and defense network for nonprofits, healthcare providers, and other entities serving or employing immigrant New Yorkers.”
