A statewide group that has connected newly arrived migrants in Massachusetts to services says it can no longer offer citizenship application assistance due to a $300,000 federal funding freeze.
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition finds itself in a struggle after the Department of Homeland Security froze all grant funding to nonprofits operating outside of government control.
MIRA, a coalition of more than 140 organizations “working to promote the rights and opportunities” of newcomers to the country, announced Tuesday that the freeze means it “must immediately cease citizenship application assistance.”
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services “suddenly froze $300,000” in funding meant to “assist hundreds of immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship” last week, coalition officials highlighted in a release.
“This country is a nation of immigrants who tirelessly work to create better lives for themselves and generations to come, while also contributing to our economy and culture,” MIRA Executive Director Elizabeth Sweet said in a statement. “However, the administration has continued to make its message to immigrants clear: You are no longer welcome.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced late last month that her department would put a halt on grant funding to non-governmental organizations, some of which she said had “facilitated” illegal immigration.
“I’ve taken action to stop those funds, to re-evaluate them, and to make sure that we’re actually using taxpayer dollars in a way that strengthens this country, to keep people safe,” Noem said on the Jan. 29 episode of Fox News’ Will Cain Show.
“We’re not spending another dime to help the destruction of this country,” she added.
The feds “inititally awarded” MIRA the $300,000 grant last year under the Biden administration, with funding “set to run through September, 30, 2026.” The coalition “worked one-on-one with immigrants, educating them on how to submit necessary forms and information and preparing them for the citizenship interview and exam free of charge.”
In May 2023, the Healey administration awarded $1.75 million in state money to form an immigrant assistance services program that MIRA administered in partnership with the state Office of Refugees and Immigrants and the Department of Housing and Community Development.
The program looked to “support up to 800 individuals and families” who lived in “DHCD homeless shelter placements,” according to state officials. MIRA was to “work with resettlement agencies to conduct the case management” of support resources like “immediate advice and referrals” and “legal services.”
With the freeze on federal funding, “hundreds of immigrants… will now be forced to navigate the daunting and costly citizenship application process without the support of qualified, trained experts,” MIRA said in its Tuesday release.
According to national reports, the U.S. spent more than $380 million last year on sheltering and service programs for illegal immigrants.
“It is shameful to cripple programs that help legal permanent residents become American citizens,” Sweet said. “Immigrants in Massachusetts and across the country deserve support in navigating the lengthy – and oftentimes overwhelming – citizenship application process.”