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For Thanksgiving, stories of hope, struggle and resilience in America

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At Our Shared Table 2018, speakers urged immigrants and refugees to ‘dream big’ and define their own identity, while calling on elected officials to bring Massachusetts realities closer to its ideals. Iván Espinoza-Madrigal was 9 when he came to the U.S. from Costa Rica. His mother worked for minimum wage so he could get an … Continued

An important reprieve for TPS holders – but Congress still must act

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Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen granted a preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Sudan, El Salvador, Haiti and Nicaragua. The ruling, in a case filed last March by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and other advocates, provides a much-needed reprieve for hundreds of thousands … Continued

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Business leaders launch coalition to advance sensible immigration policies

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Leaders from some of Massachusetts’ top business sectors came together today to launch the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Immigration, focused on advancing federal and state policies that enable talent from around the world to continue to thrive in our Commonwealth. “From high tech to construction, health care to hospitality, immigrants are vital to Massachusetts’ economy,” … Continued

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An unconscionable betrayal of immigrants and their families

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A court filing by the ACLU of Massachusetts in Calderon v. Nielsen reveals that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) personnel have actively collaborated with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) to facilitate the detention and deportation of immigrants. MIRA strongly encourages its members and concerned citizens to read the entire filing, which has prompted immediate condemnation from public officials … Continued

Mass. Legislature abdicates moral leadership in budget deal

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Today the Conference Committee released its version of the FY2019 state budget, stripped of four provisions to protect immigrant families that the Massachusetts Senate had overwhelmingly approved in May. Eva A. Millona, executive director of the MIRA Coalition, responded with the following statement: “We are deeply disappointed. The Massachusetts Legislature had a prime opportunity to … Continued

Travel ban decision sets a dangerous precedent for America

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Today the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration’s travel ban, which forbids travel to the U.S. for the 150 million citizens of five Muslim-majority countries — Syria, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen — as well as North Korea, with very limited exceptions. The 5–4 decision in Trump v. Hawaii rests on a broad definition of executive … Continued

Order to end family separations will only change how children are traumatized

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Today, the President signed an executive order to address the ongoing family separation crisis on the border. Unfortunately for the thousands of people seeking asylum in the U.S., his solution is simply to incarcerate families together, indefinitely, while continuing to blame Congress and the courts for the crisis that he created. “This executive order does … Continued

MIRA joins Sen. Markey’s call for ban on family separations

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Today, we joined U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, with several advocates, to condemn family separations and speak out in support of a Senate bill co-sponsored by him to end family separations not as part of a massive immigration “reform” bill, but by simply forbidding the practice. The Keep Families Together Act was developed in consultation with child … Continued

A crucial victory for immigrants and civil rights in the Mass. Senate budget

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Last night, after a thoughtful and substantive debate, the Massachusetts Senate voted 25–13 to approve Sen. Jamie Eldridge’s amendment #1147, which adds four key protections for immigrants to the state budget for FY2019. In particular, the amendment bars police from asking about people’s immigration status unless required by law; ends 287(g) contracts that deputize state and … Continued