This year has tested our communities in profound ways. But when we come together, courage wins out over fear — and that is exactly what Immigrants’ Day at the State House is about.
On March 18 at 9:30 a.m., people from across the Commonwealth will walk into the State House and speak directly to the lawmakers who represent them. This is the work: connecting human stories to the policies that shape real lives, and making sure legislators understand what’s at stake for immigrant communities in Massachusetts — right now, when it matters most.
2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Immigrants’ Day, and we asked Muriel Heiberger — MIRA’s founding Executive Director — to share what she remembers from that very first gathering.
Her reflection says it all:
An event that probably took place 29 years ago… (at 81, details can get a little foggy!)
It is about 8 am and I am sitting at my desk at the MIRA Coalition office on Tremont Street. I’m feeling very nervous because in a short time, I will make my way up to Gardner Auditorium to host the very first Immigrants’ Day at the State House.
The phone rings. “You’d better get up here right away. There are hundreds of people winding around Beacon Street and Bowdoin Street waiting for admission.”
The entire floor of Gardner Auditorium and all the balconies are full. I am in awe of all the people there, and of the hard work the immigrant organizations must have done to bring their people. And so began one of the most beautiful and humbling occasions of my life.
I opened the event by calling out countries one by one. Every time I named another country, hands went up — and those who weren’t from that country clapped and cheered. I could feel the solidarity in the room growing with each shout out.
There were a lot of tough issues on the agenda that we would address that morning with legislators. The passage of restrictive federal immigration and welfare laws in 1996 had marked a defining moment. Congress had elevated the anti-immigrant sentiment of the past decade to new heights, curtailing immigrants’ rights to qualify for asylum and to receive many social safety net benefits their tax dollars paid for.
Now we, MIRA members, would turn our attention to what Massachusetts could be doing to provide opportunities for immigrants and refugees to become full and equal partners.
Over the years, MIRA would win many battles that changed the lives of immigrants and refugees in the Commonwealth and the country. And the effort goes on.
With deep love and respect for all the work that you are doing. — Muriel
The Work Continues
What Muriel describes — that packed auditorium, that roll call of countries, that surge of solidarity — is the same spirit that has carried Immigrants’ Day forward for three decades. The progress hasn’t been a straight line. The anti-immigrant climate that defined 1996 didn’t disappear; it has resurfaced, and this year its impact has been felt deeply in our communities.
But the response has been the same as it was then: show up, speak out, and stand together.
Join Us for Immigrants’ Day at the State House March 18
On March 18, we carry that tradition into its 30th year. Join us at the State House to make your voice heard — by the legislators who represent you, and by everyone else in that room who needs to know they are not alone.
Immigrants’ Day at the State House
📅 Wednesday, March 18 | 9:30 a.m.
📍 Massachusetts State House, Boston
Know Before You Go : Immigrants’ Day at the State House INFO SESSION
Learn about the event, how to talk to your legislators, and how we’ll show up together.
Monday March 16 at 11am