Manuel Castro is the Commissioner for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA). MOIA serves the NYC’s 3.3 million immigrant New Yorkers, who come from over 160 countries and speak more than 700 languages and dialects. During his tenure, the Commissioner has spearheaded responses to the arrival of over 200,000 asylum seekers to NYC, expanded MOIA’s legal services, language access, and English learning initiatives, and allocated over $30 million to immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations. Previously, the Commissioner served as the Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a community-based organization in Queens, NYC, where he grew the organization’s budget and staff tenfold. Before that, he led advocacy campaigns for the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), which resulted in significant support for immigrant communities and landmark policy changes.At five years old, the Commissioner crossed the border with his mother. He grew up in NYC and was part of the early generation of young immigrant activists known as DREAMers, advocating for immigration reform and access to college education. These experiences have shaped his commitment to life in public service and advocacy.His journey and work have been featured extensively in local, national, and international media. Recently, the Washington Post wrote a feature about his life and role in welcoming newly arrived immigrants. For his work, he has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Alexander Hamilton Immigrant Achievement Award, the YMCA Hispanic Achiever Award, and the David Prize Award. He has been included on various lists of influential individuals, including City & State’s “NYC Power 100” list of the city's top leaders. The Commissioner earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Communications from Hampshire College.