When Somia El-Rowmeim arrived in New York from Yemen in 2007, she had a degree in Mathematics and Physics from Sana’a University. What she didn’t have: English language skills, knowledge of how to navigate American systems, or a network to help her start over.
“When I came to this country I didn’t know where to start, what to do, how to speak English, or where to go to learn English,” El-Rowmeim told Brooklyn Org in January 2025. “I really started my life here from scratch.”
After five years of hard work learning English and volunteering at the Arab American Association, El-Rowmeim eventually became an ESL teacher and Adult Education Manager. In 2019, she founded the Women’s Empowerment Coalition of New York City (WECNYC), which now serves over 10,000 people annually through ESL courses, food pantries, women’s leadership programs, and support for domestic violence survivors.
Her story represents both the challenges and the resilience of immigrant women in NYC—a population of over 3 million immigrants who comprise 38% of the city’s total population, according to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs 2024 Annual Report.
The Numbers Behind NYC’s Immigrant Community
New York City remains a global immigration hub. According to data from the Center for Migration Studies released in November 2025, the city’s immigrant population reached 3.10 million in 2023—rebounding from pandemic lows and representing steady growth since 2020.
The immigrant population isn’t monolithic. Queens and Brooklyn hold the highest concentrations, with more than 60% of undocumented New Yorkers living in these two boroughs. The three most common countries of birth for NYC immigrants are the Dominican Republic, China, and Jamaica, with Mexicans now the fourth-largest group.
Almost 50% of New Yorkers live in family households with at least one immigrant. About 267,000 children under age 18 live in mixed-status households—meaning one in six NYC children has family members with different immigration statuses.
Language diversity is striking: As of 2023, almost 75% of foreign-born individuals with limited English proficiency speak four languages: Spanish, a dialect of Chinese (primarily Mandarin or Cantonese), Bengali, or another language. More than 200 languages are spoken across the city.
The Specific Challenges Immigrant Women Face
While all immigrants navigate barriers to full inclusion in NYC—from access to health insurance to English language proficiency—women often face compounded challenges related to childcare, domestic responsibilities, and cultural expectations about women’s roles.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant women were disproportionately affected. Many worked in essential industries with high exposure risk while also managing increased caregiving responsibilities at home. Traditional support networks—family members, community centers, places of worship—were disrupted, leaving women more isolated.
For undocumented women, additional barriers include fear of deportation, inability to access certain social services, and vulnerability to exploitation in informal work sectors. According to the Center for Migration Studies data, over 85% of undocumented immigrants in NYC fall within the prime working-age bracket (18-64), emphasizing their significant role in the city’s labor force despite facing systemic barriers.
Organizations Meeting Women Where They Are
New Women New Yorkers (NWNY) has served more than 2,000 immigrant women over its 10-year history through workforce development, community programs, and storytelling initiatives. In 2025, they expanded into high-growth industries like clean energy and tech, and opened their first Community Hub in Manhattan.
Their flagship LEAD program—offered both in-person and virtually in 2026—is tailored for intermediate English learners. Through 16 dynamic workshops, participants strengthen confidence, English communication, and job readiness while exploring career paths. According to NWNY’s data, over 60% of participants secure jobs, internships, or further education within six months of completing the program.
“After my LEAD program, the door opened for me to work at the Dalton School,” one graduate shared in program materials. “When I got there and saw the students, it felt like that job was meant for me.”
NWNY also offers “We Speak We LEAD” for elementary to intermediate English learners and “Bridge to LEAD” for Spanish-speaking women who are beginner English learners with a high school diploma or less—recognizing that one program doesn’t fit all needs.
The organization is a member of the Queens and Staten Island Clean Energy Hub, a collaboration funded by NYSERDA, working to build a more inclusive clean energy economy in historically underserved neighborhoods. This represents a strategic shift: connecting immigrant women not just to any jobs, but to emerging industries with long-term stability and growth potential.
Community Education Beyond Job Training
Workforce development is crucial, but it’s not the only need. WECNYC’s two locations in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park serve a community of more than 5,000 people, with over 120 enrolled in ESL courses. But they also run biweekly food pantries, youth programs, Know Your Rights workshops, computer training, and mental health programming.
“The most rewarding part of my work is seeing the women that we’ve helped grow and become the change that they want to see,” El-Rowmeim said. “Some also give back by volunteering or working with us, and others use our guidance to register in college. Many invite us to their graduations, which is always special.”
When WECNYC can’t directly help with legal cases involving domestic violence, family rights, or custody, they maintain close relationships with organizations that can: Brooklyn Defender Services, New York Legal Assistance Group, and the Brooklyn Family Justice Center. This network approach ensures women don’t fall through cracks when one organization can’t meet all their needs.
NWNY takes a similar holistic approach through their Community Education and Support programs: workshops on financial wellbeing, mental health, civic engagement, and knowing your rights. They also offer peer learning spaces, public speaking practice series, and arts and crafts circles—creating space for reflection, creativity, and connection beyond pure skill-building.
The Critical Role of Legal Services
Perhaps nothing illustrates the current challenges facing immigrant communities more clearly than the demand for legal services. According to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs 2024 Annual Report, the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline received record-breaking call volume, peaking at nearly 10,000 calls per month at the beginning of 2024.
The Immigration Legal Support Centers filed over 6,000 new cases—a record high. The Immigration Rights Workshop program delivered more than 400 presentations, informing nearly 10,000 New Yorkers about their rights.
The NYC Council secured $74.7 million for Immigration Legal Services in the Fiscal 2026 budget, including $33.6 million to ensure continuity of services and help defend immigrants against aggressive anti-immigrant policies, $24.6 million for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, and $16.5 million to fund legal counsel for children in removal proceedings.
“Immigrants are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods, and a vital part of the fabric not only of New York City but the country as a whole,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles, Chair of the Committee on Immigration. “Our city has taken strides in funding initiatives that support the needs of our diverse immigrant communities, through programs such as legal service support, health services like NYC Care, and other critical services.”
What Women Say They Need
Beyond the programs and statistics, community organizations emphasize listening to what women themselves identify as barriers and needs.
Childcare remains a persistent challenge. Many workforce development programs struggle to serve mothers who can’t afford childcare during training sessions or who work irregular hours that don’t align with traditional childcare availability. Some organizations have responded by offering virtual options, but these require reliable internet access and quiet space at home—not always available.
Cultural competency matters. Programs that understand specific cultural backgrounds, religious practices, and family dynamics are more effective at building trust. This is why organizations like WECNYC, founded by an immigrant woman who experienced these challenges firsthand, can often reach women that larger, more generalized programs miss.
Mental health support is increasingly recognized as essential. The trauma of migration, separation from family, financial stress, and experiences of discrimination all take a toll. Yet mental health services remain stigmatized in many immigrant communities and are often inaccessible due to language barriers or lack of culturally appropriate providers.
Financial literacy and know-your-rights education are critical. Many immigrant women are unfamiliar with U.S. banking systems, credit, workers’ rights, or tenant protections. Without this knowledge, they’re vulnerable to exploitation and unable to build financial stability even when employed.
Expansion Needs and Funding Gaps
Despite strong outcomes, organizations consistently cite limited capacity as their biggest constraint.
“Community members have been requesting that we open new spaces,” El-Rowmeim noted. “There are huge underserved communities in the Bronx and Queens that could use our services. Many of our clients come to Brooklyn from there, actually.”
NWNY’s 10-year anniversary report celebrated reaching 2,000 women—impressive for a grassroots organization, but a fraction of the need in a city with 3.1 million immigrants.
Funding remains precarious. Many programs rely on grants that must be renewed annually or every few years, making long-term planning difficult. The NYC Council noted in its May 2025 budget analysis that programs supporting immigrant communities faced “outstanding funding gaps” that were initially left out of the Mayor’s Executive Budget.
The concern is particularly acute given federal policy uncertainty. “However, as the federal government threatens our communities with mass deportation policies and cuts to local service organizations, our providers have struggled to keep up with the rapidly increasing demand,” the Council stated. “We must seriously increase our city’s capacity to meet the urgently heightening needs of immigrant New Yorkers and live up to our status as a proud sanctuary city.”
The Power of Community-Led Solutions
What organizations like NWNY and WECNYC demonstrate is that effective support for immigrant women requires more than just programs—it requires community.
NWNY explicitly frames storytelling as central to their work. “Storytelling is woven into the heart of everything we do at NWNY,” their materials state. “It gives immigrant women the tools to express their dreams, challenges, and aspirations—while building self-confidence, communication skills, and visibility.”
This isn’t soft skills training—it’s recognizing that immigrant women’s experiences, perspectives, and contributions have value beyond their labor. It’s about building agency, not just employability.
Similarly, WECNYC’s emphasis on building power and unity among women from diverse backgrounds through education, storytelling, and advocacy recognizes that true integration requires more than learning English and finding a job. It requires feeling seen, heard, and valued in your community.
Looking Ahead in 2026
As NYC continues to welcome new arrivals—the city has welcomed more than 230,000 people since spring 2022, according to Council Member Aviles—the question is whether support infrastructure can scale to meet growing needs.
Organizations are adapting. NWNY’s expansion into clean energy and tech careers represents strategic positioning for long-term economic mobility. WECNYC’s multi-service approach ensures women can access everything from food to ESL to domestic violence support in one trusted location. Both organizations prioritize hiring from the communities they serve, with program graduates often becoming staff members or volunteers.
For immigrant women in NYC, the path forward involves both institutional support and community-built networks. City funding for legal services, language programs, and workforce development provides crucial infrastructure. But grassroots organizations led by immigrant women who’ve lived these experiences often prove most effective at actually reaching women, building trust, and creating lasting change.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I was never going to make it,” El-Rowmeim said. “But I did, and so will these women.”
Looking for resources to support immigrant women in NYC? New Women New Yorkers offers workforce development programs with info sessions in January 2026. WECNYC provides ESL courses and support services in Brooklyn. The NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs offers comprehensive resources regardless of immigration status. Learn more about career pathways, financial literacy, and community building in NYC.
