Current Month (July 2025)
Historic Roundtable Discussion Unites NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs with Bar Associations
By Christina Chelliah, Corporate Counsel, TransPerfect, and ABA BLS Fellow (Class of 2024–2026)
On July 23, 2025, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (“MOIA”) hosted a historic roundtable discussion in City Hall that was attended by representatives and leaders of eleven bar associations. The idea for the roundtable discussion arose after Commissioner Manuel Castro of MOIA attended a joint program between the New York City Bar Association and the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York held in April 2025, which I curated.
Leaders at the roundtable discussion, pictured here, included representatives from both national and state bar associations. Photo courtesy of Christina Chelliah.
This powerful discussion centered around collaboration, equity, and how to better serve the city’s immigrant communities. The event, convened in the historic “Committee of the Whole” Room in New York’s City Hall, was also joined by Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Suzanne E. Miles-Gustave, as well as Makousse B. Ilboudo, the newly appointed executive director of the NYC Mayor’s Office to Facilitate Pro Bono Legal Assistance.
It was an inspiring session as leaders in the legal profession representing various communities and cultures shared their insights regarding issues faced in their respective communities, the programs and initiatives that each bar association is carrying out to serve these needs, and ideas to collaborate with the City and with one another moving forward. The energy in the room was palpable, and the participants left with a renewed sense of shared purpose and a commitment to work together.
Topics discussed at the roundtable included the history behind the formation of each bar association, the ongoing needs of the communities they serve, and ideas as to how each bar association could work jointly with MOIA moving forward. Photo courtesy of Christina Chelliah.
My vision for curating a space where diverse legal voices could connect across communities saw me drawing from my professional network to invite bar association leaders to convene for this discussion with key officials in the City of New York. Conversations like these help us uplift one another and our communities, strengthen professional bonds, and also advance the principles of ABA Goal III in promoting full and equal participation in the legal profession by minorities.
