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MAYOR WALSH, MASS LEGAL ASSISTANCE CORPORATION, MASS LAW
REFORM INSTITUTE ANNOUNCE GREATER BOSTON IMMIGRANT DEFENSE FUND
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Local foundations,
legal aid programs, nonprofits, and corporate partners come together to
support immigrant community
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BOSTON -
Wednesday, September 13, 2017- Mayor Walsh, local funders, Massachusetts
Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) and the Massachusetts Law Reform
Institute (MLRI) today announced the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund, a
public-private partnership and funding collaborative that seeks to strengthen
the Greater Boston area's capacity to protect and defend its many immigrant
communities, refugees, and temporary status holders by increasing education
and access to legal services. Subsequently, MLAC released a Request for Proposals (RFP) calling
for nonprofit organizations in the Boston area to enhance legal service
capacity, strengthen community education and outreach, and build network
infrastructure with the over $1 million dollars already pledged from local
funders to carry out the mission of the Defense Fund.
"Boston would not
be the thriving city it is without its immigrant community, past and
present," said Mayor Walsh. "Through this initiative, funding will
be made available for legal service providers in order to increase legal
representation for those facing deportation and who cannot afford the cost of
a lawyer. Additionally, funds will be distributed to organizations with
strong community engagement programs in order to connect legal representation
with community education and outreach."
The Massachusetts
Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), the largest funding source for civil
legal aid programs in Massachusetts, will serve as the fiscal sponsor for the
cross-sector initiative. MLAC will directly distribute funds to both legal
service providers and community outreach organizations, which will be awarded
after the competitive application process. The Massachusetts Law Reform
Institute (MLRI), a statewide poverty law and policy center, and legal
services Immigration Coalition convenor, will serve as the network
coordinator. The Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement will track and
evaluate the impact of the initiative over the course of a two-year pilot
period.
"Civil legal aid
plays a vital role in protecting the rights of individuals and families that
come to the United States in search of economic opportunity and freedom from
violence and persecution." said Lonnie Powers, Executive Director of
MLAC. "We are deeply grateful for this much-needed funding, which will
enable legal aid programs to partner with community-based agencies to
educate, empower, and provide legal support to vulnerable immigrants and
refugees in the Greater Boston area."
"As a first
generation immigrant, the daughter of immigrants who came to the US seeking a
better life, I can speak to the importance that the American Dream holds to
all who believe the United States is the beacon of justice, hope, and
opportunity," said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of MLRI.
"It is that promise that has brought millions to our shores. On behalf
of legal aid programs that serve low income and vulnerable immigrants, I want
to express sincere gratitude to Mayor Walsh and to all the funders who have
supported the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund."
The fund is made
possible by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), a
national network of foundations working on issues related to immigrant
integration, as well as by contributions from local philanthropic, corporate
and legal partners. The design of the initiative is the product of a
collaborative effort between the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement,
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and Massachusetts Law Reform
Institute with input from local funders and immigration advocates. Local
foundations and corporate partners contributing to the fund include the Barr
Foundation, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Boston Foundation, the Fish
Family Foundation, the Herman and Frieda L. Miller Foundation, Foley Hoag,
Mintz Levin, and the Hyams Foundation, the lead funder for the initiative.
"Last week, the
Trump Administration threw the lives of 800,000 young people into turmoil and
uncertainty with the stroke of a pen," said Dr. Jocelyn Sargent,
Executive Director of the Hyams Foundation. "In an era of volatile
federal politics and a growing nationalist movement, it is our collective and
moral responsibility to ensure that Boston continues to serve as a sanctuary
for all. More than 22% of Greater Boston's 800,000 immigrants and refugees do
not have immigration status. This initiative will allow us-as
philanthropists, government, and nonprofits-to stand in solidarity against
the discrimination, hostility and painful uncertainty experienced every day
by our fellow Bostonians."
"There is a
severe justice gap when it comes to protecting the rights of immigrants and
their families, who remain among the most vulnerable people in our
society," said Martin W. Healy, Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Operating
Officer of the Massachusetts Bar Association. "This welcome infusion of
funding will help expand legal aid at this critical time where it is most
needed."
"We are grateful
to Mayor Walsh and the Fund partners for this ambitious effort to increase
access to justice for some of the most vulnerable members of society,"
said Mark Smith, Boston Bar Association President. "We are acutely aware
of the need for legal representation in this area, and we stand ready to
assist and support attorneys and organizations who commit their time and
talent to this important cause."
Through their
contributions to the cultural, social and economic landscape of the city,
immigrants play an essential role in Boston's unique civic life. Foreign-born
Bostonians account for 28.4% of City's population, and nearly half of
Boston's children under that age of 18 lived with at least one foreign born
parent in 2015. Immigrants generate nearly a quarter of the economic output
of Suffolk County. In 2014, immigrants contributed $2.3 billion to the
regional economy, generating more than $116.1 million in state and local tax
revenues and approximately 15,000 jobs. Additionally, a high proportion of
foreign born Bostonians are self-employed, which has helped revitalize and
reinvigorate many of Boston's neighborhoods.
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