Carolina Tennessera joined immigration advocates on Thursday in calling on city officials to increase funding for immigrant families and asylum seekers coming to the city.

“They want their children to have everything they never had,” said Tenecela, life project coordinator for Little Sisters of the Assumption.

She said she knows first-hand what it means for newly arrived immigrant families to be given resources to help their children get an education. immigrated.

“I had a mother who spoke no English at all. When Tennessera arrived, she said,

City leaders estimate that 8,000 immigrants arrived this summer on buses sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Many families with young children claim they need extra support as the new school year begins.

“New York City welcomes more than 1,000 asylum-seeking young people from Latin American countries who have arrived through the border in the past few months,” said Andrea Ortiz, senior manager of education policy at the New York Immigration Coalition.

The city recently opened a multi-million dollar Welcome Center in the Red Cross Building in Hell’s Kitchen to help children enroll and help adults find employment. A group that rallied on Thursday said more was needed. There is

“If I worry about enrolling in the DOE system, if my children need to enroll in a nearby school that provides the services they need, I worry about money being well spent. said Liza Schwarzwald of the New York Immigration Coalition.

The education department says it is working to accompany families from temporary housing to separate family welcome centers where immigrant children can enroll in school. There was a bilingual staff member on site and NY1 was told the city was handing out backpacks there.

But Thursday’s group also wants the city council to renew its $10 million investment in childcare for undocumented children.

“Many of these people are immigrants, their home countries were riddled with war and violence, but now they want the best for their children,” Tennessera said.