NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointments of Ana María Archila as Commissioner of International Affairs, and Faiza Ali as Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs on Tuesday. These appointments fill key leadership roles within the city’s administration, focusing on global relations and support for immigrant communities.

Ali will lead the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which advises the Mayor on policies to support immigrant residents.

In 2014, Ali served as a community liaison before transitioning to the role of director of the Community Engagement Division.

Prior to joining the council, Ali was the advocacy and civic engagement director for the Arab American Association of NY, and co-founded the Muslim Democratic Club of New York.

She also served as director of advocacy at the Arab American Association of New York, an organizer with Brooklyn Congregations United and Director of Community Affairs at CAIR-NY.

Ali’s background as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants provides firsthand understanding of the immigrant experience in New York, Mamdani said.

“New York City has always belonged to the world—a city that immigrants helped build and one strengthened by our many languages and stories,” Mayor Mamdani said.

Archila will serve as the city’s chief liaison to the United Nations and the U.S. State Department.
In this capacity, she will advise city agencies on diplomatic matters, welcome foreign diplomats and manage leadership development programs such as NYC Junior Ambassadors. Her role will also involve ensuring New York City remains a “welcoming place for the global community.”

Mamdani added that Archila brings “moral clarity and a deep commitment to the people who keep this city running.”

Archila, a former co-director of the New York Working Families Party, has a long history as an immigrant rights leader.

She co-founded grassroots progressive organizations including Make the Road New York.

Ali previously served in the City Council, most recently as the former Speaker’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Community Engagement. Both commissioners are expected to begin their new roles promptly, focusing on their respective areas of responsibility within the city government.