The city of Boston is distributing more than half a million in grant funds for various migrant services, with much of the money going toward outwardly anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) organizations.
Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday announced $650,000 in grant money to support immigration-related legal services in Boston. The grants, which will range from $10,000 to $100,000, will pay for Know Your Rights training, forms assistance, legal representation and other legal assistance for the city’s immigrant community.
“Boston is a city of immigrants, and we all benefit from the contributions of immigrant communities in our neighborhoods,” Wu stated. “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 supports.” (RELATED: Dem Mayor’s Office Does Damage Control After Sending Holiday Party Invitation For ‘Electeds Of Color’)
Some of the 13 organizations identified as grant recipients, however, not only provide legal services, but also directly work to oppose ICE and have made publicly disparaging remarks about the agency.
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition — which bills itself as the largest pro-immigrant group in New England — opposes ICE detention agreements and publicly advocates for the Safe Communities Act. This state legislation calls for the prohibition of 287(g) agreements with federal immigration authorities and making it more difficult for deportation officers to detain illegal immigrants.
The Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, which trains students to provide free representation to asylum seekers, is also listed as a grant recipient. The group has posted a number of derogatory statements about ICE in the past, such as calling it an “institution designed to instill terror and cause suffering,” and claiming 287(g) agreements are racist and xenophobic.
When we say that ICE is an institution designed to instill terror and cause suffering, this is exactly what we mean. They can’t even figure out how to not deport citizens. You expect them to do anything else right? Yeah, nope! 👎
H/T to @immcouncil for the reporting! pic.twitter.com/ngRSFG5xEW
— Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ) (@SCIJimmigration) August 2, 2021
3 Reasons Why Cities Should Not Sign 287(g) Agreements With ICE:
(1) They’re racist
(2) Makes communities less safe
(3) 287(g) Agreements are xenophobic https://t.co/dLTxQ1wsUz. H/T @immcouncil— Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ) (@SCIJimmigration) September 29, 2020
Another organization identified as a grant recipient, the Rian Immigrant Center, has taken part in public demonstrations against ICE enforcement and has publicly touted state legislation that limits ICE’s ability to conduct its work.
The money being funneled to the organizations will come from Boston’s fiscal year 2024 budget and will be used through November, according to the mayor’s press release.
The Center for Immigration Studies lists Boston, and the entire state of Massachusetts, as a sanctuary city. The organization points to the passage of the Trust Act, which prohibits the honoring of ICE detainers without a criminal warrant, as reason for this listing.
Like other states across the U.S., Massachusetts has been forced to address the consequences of the current immigration crisis. Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey recently sought to limit how long migrants and other homeless individuals could remain in shelters, and previously called for a cap on the number of migrants who could stay at these shelters.
ICE recently admonished local law enforcement officials in Massachusetts for ignoring an ICE detainer on an illegal immigrant previously in their custody and allowing him to be released back into the community.
The City of Boston did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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