Manuel Castro

Current NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs. Former executive director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE). Personal account. Views my own.

[Manuel Castro @MCastroAction]

@votejgr @NYCImmigrants Thank you @votejgr

[Manuel Castro @MCastroAction]

From crossing the border as a child to serving as NYC’s Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, this journey has meant more than I can put into words.

Today I shared a statement on my transition from @NYCImmigrants

Grateful for the opportunity to serve. Full statement below:

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

🎊🧧新年快乐🧧🎊 Happy Lunar New Year! MOIA is proud to celebrate the lunar new year with over 1 million community members across all five boroughs, in welcoming the year of the horse 🐎🐎

To many, the year of the Horse symbolizes determination, courage, and good fortune, making this new year especially suitable for embracing new challenges and trying new things!

During this time, MOIA is honored to continue working alongside an amazing network of civic and community groups, ushering in the New Year! We here at MOIA wish all who celebrate and your loved ones a prosperous New Year!

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

For all New Yorkers who celebrate, Happy Lunar New Year❄️🎉☀️#새해복많이받으세요!

We wish you a festive and meaningful time connecting with families, your cultural roots, and ancestors. May every rice cake from 떡국 bring you even more wisdom and new beginnings. May the coming year bring you abundant health, prosperity, and quality time with loved ones.

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is proud to stand here to celebrate the impact and rich cultural traditions of #KoreanNewYorkers and support our vibrant communities across the 5 boroughs.

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

Ramadan Mubarak. To all those observing in NYC, MOIA wishes you a meaningful time for self-reflection and spiritual renewal. Ramadan calls us toward self-purification, self-restraint, and becoming deeply compassionate with those around us. 

This holy month is not only about fasting from dawn until sunset, but is a sacred opportunity for charity, self-discipline, renewal from the inside out, and striving to be our best selves. This extends into how we treat our neighbors and uplift our communities. Across the five boroughs, we see this devotion in action. We honor the #MuslimNewYorkers who transform our city everyday with their proud dedication to community and faith. 🌙☪️

[Zach Iscol 🗽🍎 @zachiscol]

@MCastroAction @MCastroMOIA @NYCImmigrants Was such an honor working alongside you! Fair winds and following seas my friend!

[Manuel Castro @MCastroAction]

@jessicaramosqns @NYCImmigrants Thank you @jessicaramosqns. I really appreciate it.

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

Statement from Commissioner @mcastromoia @mcastroaction on the MOIA Leadership Transition

Having crossed the border as a child and grown up undocumented, with all the uncertainty that came with it, I could never have imagined that one day I would serve as New York City’s Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs.

I am proud to have been the first formerly undocumented immigrant to hold this role and to have stewarded this office during such consequential and historic times.

Leading this office on behalf of millions of immigrant New Yorkers has been a profound honor, and one I hope inspires others who once believed such a journey was impossible.

During this period, amid multiple overlapping crises affecting immigrant communities, the office expanded its reach and impact significantly. We grew from a $19 million operation to a $50 million+ citywide office, serving more immigrant New Yorkers and investing more deeply in nonprofit partners than at any point in the office’s history.

We awarded more than $120 million in contracts and grants to immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations, strengthening frontline capacity and expanding support to grassroots groups across the city.

I am especially grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside dedicated public servants across city government and our nonprofit partners, and to spend so much time with immigrant New Yorkers from around the world who welcomed me into their communities across the five boroughs.

Grounding our work in the neighborhoods where immigrant New Yorkers live and work, and welcoming thousands of newly arrived migrants at the Port Authority and throughout our citywide service system, were among the most meaningful experiences of my tenure.

I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and proud of what we built together during this unprecedented period. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition and wish the incoming Commissioner every success.

[Manuel Castro @MCastroAction]

Thank you 🙏🏽 @AWilliamsIsom

[Anne Williams-Isom @AWilliamsIsom]

Thank you for your service Commissioner. 🙏🏾

[Anne Williams-Isom @AWilliamsIsom]

Forever grateful to these folks and especially Commissioner Manny Castro for their service to immigrant communities throughout NYC. @NYCImmigrants 💛🙏🏾

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

To combat misinfo in NYC, Commissioner @MCastromoia & our team were proud to collab again w/ @CathCharitiesNY, @NYSNewAmericans, @Telemundo47 & others to host an informational phone bank. 100s of callers received trusted & confidential info & referrals to legal service providers.

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

#Thankyou to @BaruchMarxe for hosting "Immigration & Urban Communities: Policy & Pathways" on Wed. Commissioner @MCastroMOIA spoke on how MOIA, public, & civic partners worked together to support & uplift recently arrived asylum seekers & immigrant communities during the pandemic

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

📣New MOIA Resources! We created newly designed & updated booklets with guidance for #immigrantNewYorkers. Learn what to do after a friend or family member is detained by ICE, Know Your Rights with ICE, & guidance on NYC Sanctuary Laws. Visit: https://t.co/11Viic0Jb7.

[Manuel Castro @MCastroAction]

Proud to have been part of establishing NYC’s arrival center in partnership with @NYCHealthSystem.

Millions of future Americans will trace their immigration story back to this center and the New Yorkers that welcomed them. Thanks to all who have contributed to these efforts.

[NYC Health + Hospitals @NYCHealthSystem]

Today we celebrate the one-year anniversary of NYC’s Arrival Center, the city’s intake facility for newly arriving asylum seekers. Arrival Center staff have received and provided medical, social, and resettlement services to nearly 150,000 people: https://t.co/c32J0BxDDO.

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

Nearly 150,000 asylum seekers from over 160 countries have gone through the doors of NYC’s Arrival Center, the new Ellis Island 🗽.

Commissioner @MCastroMOIA and @NYCHealthSystem gave immigrant & community media a tour in honor of the anniversary of the Arrival Center.

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

Guyanese immigrants are the 5th largest immigrant group in #NYC 🇬🇾 Today, @mcastromoia joined @nycmayor, @globalnyc, @mayorsCAU, Consul General of Guyana, reps from @CARICOMorg, civil servants, & faith leaders to celebrate the vibrant Guyanese community in all 5 boroughs.

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

New York City wouldn’t be the greatest city in the world without generations of immigrants who have rolled up their sleeves and proved that the #AmericanDreamWorks — but only if we let people work.

We're leading a bipartisan, nationwide coalition of mayors to expand work authorization for immigrants because it's a win-win-win for our cities and our country.

Read more: https://t.co/bwPNP9pdWC

[NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs @NYCImmigrants]

Commissioner @MCastroAction & team celebrated Buddha Purnima Day (Tsepa Cho- Nga), the 15th day of the Buddha Jayanti at the Tibetan Community center in New York organized by Sera Jey Buddhist Center. For all Buddhist New Yorkers celebrating, we wish you a Happy Buddha Jayanti!

[Center for Migration Studies @CMSnewyork]

New CMSOnAir #podcast episode! CMS Executive Director Mario Russell sits down with @NYCImmigrants Commissioner @MCastroMOIA to discuss MOIA’s response to the needs of and developing opportunities for #migrants in NYC.
@NYCMayor @MaketheRoadNY @cisnyc
https://t.co/YWkVqmxEp3

[Capalino @CapalinoNYC]

This week is @NYCImmigrants 20th annual Immigrant Heritage Week, and today is the 117th anniversary of 4/17/1907, a record-breaking day for Ellis Island when 11,000 people arrived #immigrantheritageweek #cityofimmigrants