(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was revealed that Boston started distributing more than half a million in grant funds for various services for illegal aliens, with much of the money going toward the organizations that explicitly oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On May 9, 2024, Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu announced $650,000 in grant money to support immigration-related legal services in the city, the press release stated. The grants will range from $10,000 to $100,000 and pay for Know Your Rights training, forms assistance, legal representation and other legal assistance for the illegals who are currently located inside Boston.
“Boston is a city of immigrants, and we all benefit from the contributions of immigrant communities in our neighborhoods. Our immigration system is nearly impossible to navigate alone, so I’m grateful to [the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement] and these organizations for helping our immigrant residents better access legal services and much-needed support,” Wu said.
However, some of the 13 organizations identified as grant recipients not only provide legal services but also directly work to oppose ICE, making publicly disparaging comments about the agency.
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition — which calls itself the largest pro-immigrant group in New England — opposes ICE detention agreements and publicly advocates for the Safe Communities Act.
We must urge our state lawmakers to support ending ICE detention agreements! pic.twitter.com/4U4A1MZiJ8
— MIRA Coalition (@MIRACoalition) July 25, 2023
The Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, the organization that trains students to provide free representation to asylum seekers, is also listed as a grant recipient. The group previously posted several derogatory statements about ICE in the past, calling it an “institution designed to instill terror and cause suffering” and claiming 287(g) agreements are racist and xenophobic.
The Rian Immigrant Center which took part in public demonstrations against ICE enforcement and publicly touted state legislation that limits ICE’s ability to conduct its work was also identified as a grant recipient.
Tonight, we attended Boston & Cambridge's #lights4liberty – real sense of unity, compassion & outrage at the border camps & ICE raids. Honored to stand shoulder-2-shoulder w/ @Cambridge_Mayor @JoeCurtatone @DeNovoCenter @PAIRProject_Bos @CCF1916 @BostonLegalAid @protestchoir pic.twitter.com/X9rYg4PzxT
— Rian Immigrant Center (@rian_center) July 13, 2019
Colorado has become the 9th state to enact better protections for their immigrant communities after signing House Bill 1124. This bill will preserve the individual rights of immigrants from federal law enforcement agencies like ICE. #Colorado #immigrants
— Rian Immigrant Center (@rian_center) May 30, 2019
Wu’s press release also stated that the money being funneled to the organizations will come from Boston’s fiscal year 2024 budget and will be used through November.
