In mid-April, the Massachusetts House of Representatives will release its proposed annual budget for FY27, for debate and passage later in the month. Right now, state representatives are making their budget priorities known to House leadership.
Ask your state representative to prioritize increased funding for two key programs that help protect immigrants against deportation:
(1) $15M for the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund. This line item funds the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI), a new state program that provides free legal defense for Massachusetts immigrants facing deportation who cannot afford an attorney. $15M will allow MACI to provide legal help to over 1,000 people in FY27.
(2) $2M for the Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP).US Citizenship is the strongest protection against deportation, yet state support for citizenship programs has decreased since 2022. $2M will restore the capacity of community-based providers across the state to provide citizenship application assistance to eligible immigrants who cannot afford a private attorney.