CPC Hosts City Hall Day of Action Calling for Investment in Immigrant and Working Families

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Date: May 12th, 2026

Press Contacts: 

Alice Du, Director of Communications | (212) 792-4585 | adu@cpc-nyc.org

CPC Hosts City Hall Day of Action Calling for Investment in Immigrant and Working Families

200 community members, youth leaders, advocates, and staff to march from CPC One to Foley Square

NEW YORK, NY — On Tuesday, May 12, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) brought together more than 200 staff members, community residents, youth leaders, and advocates for a City Hall Day of Action as part of CPC’s annual City Advocacy Season. 

Participants marched from CPC One to Foley Square to call on city leaders to invest in immigrant and low-income communities and advance policies that reflect the realities and needs of working families across New York City. 

"Every year, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) supports immigrant and low-income New Yorkers through services, resources, and advocacy. Today, over 250 of our program staff and community members from early childhood programs to older adult centers, from adult literacy classes to legal services are marching to City Hall to uplift issues facing AAPI and immigrant communities during AAPI Heritage Month and to advocate for our City budget priorities. This is a demonstration of CPC's values. When we raise our voices together to call for legislative and budget investments to support AAPI and immigrant communities and the staff who support them, our communities will thrive," said Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). 

Throughout the day, advocates highlighted CPC’s key policy priorities, including expanding access to affordable childcare, strengthening food assistance programs, protecting immigrant communities through investments in legal services, and ensuring New Yorkers have access to the resources they need to thrive. 

This year, CPC is advancing the following key policy priorities: 

• Securing New York State funding for infrastructure universal childcare so that every family—regardless of income, immigration status, or zip code, including families of children with disabilities—can access high-quality, free childcare for all children under age 13 in the setting of their choice. 

• Passing the Protect, Invest, and Expand Food Security Package, which would establish a SNAP and cash assistance fraud victims compensation fund, invest in programs to reduce food insecurity across New York City, expand the minimum SNAP benefit to $100, and allocate $244 million to protect 41,000 newly excluded refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, and others who are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits. 

• Investing $175 million in immigration legal services through the Office for New Americans to ensure the long-term sustainability and expansion of services; passing the Access to Representation Act to establish a right to counsel in immigration court; and passing the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act to provide four years of dedicated funding to expand and strengthen legal services. 

This year’s City Hall Day of Action brought together community members across generations, demonstrating the power of collective advocacy and civic engagement. Youth leaders, longtime residents, organizers, and advocates will stand together to send a clear message that when communities organize collectively, their voices cannot be ignored.

CPC’s full FY27 City Policy and Budget Agenda can be found here. 

CPC offers wraparound services to over 80,000 New Yorkers annually through a diverse range of over 50 programs. These include emergency food assistance, early childhood education, public benefits and unemployment assistance, support for community members with disabilities, and services for older adults. 

For more information about CPC and its range of community services, please visit www.cpc-nyc.org. 

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Press Coverage: World Journal, Sing Tao Daily

ABOUT CPC

Founded in 1965, CPC is a social services organization that creates social change. Building on our historic legacy and ongoing dedication to the Chinese American community, CPC advances the social and economic progress of immigrant and low-income communities of New York through services, resources, and advocacy.

關於華策會

華策會成立於1965年，是一個致力於推動社會變革的社會服務機構。秉承深厚的歷史傳承與對華裔美國社區的持續承諾，華策會透過多元服務、資源援助與公共倡議，促進紐約移民及低收入社區的社會與經濟發展。

ACERCA DE CPC

Fundada en 1965, CPC es una organización de servicios sociales que promueve el cambio social. Basándose en su legado histórico y su compromiso continuo con la comunidad chino-estadounidense, CPC impulsa el progreso social y económico de las comunidades inmigrantes y de bajos ingresos de Nueva York a través de servicios, recursos y acciones de incidencia.