• On September 18, the administration announced major changes to the naturalization exam. The current exam consists of 100 possible questions, of which the applicant will be asked 10 and must get 6 correct in order to pass. The new test, which will apply to applications filed on or after October 20th, will have 128 possible questions, and applicants will be asked 20, needing to get 12 right to pass. At least one USCIS has admitted that the new exam further reflects the agency’s move away from providing services and towards a focus on enforcement. 
• The Trump Administration is taking its crusade against refugees and asylees international, urging other nations to upend the international system that has been in place since World War II. On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, administration officials argued that asylum should not be permanent, and that asylees should eventually be sent home. They also argue that there is no right to receive asylum in a country of choice. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, countered that the best way to address the growing number of displaced persons is to address the root causes of displacement. 
• On Friday, a federal district judge issued a temporary injunction to prohibit the USDA from collecting personal data on SNAP recipients and stop the federal government from using funding cuts to coerce such information sharing from the states.  The injunction was the result of a lawsuit filed by 20 states, including Massachusetts, in a federal district court in CA. This is not a nationwide injunction and only applies to the states that brought the suit (except for Nevada). 
• Yesterday, a federal judge in Arizona continued to block the deportation of dozens of unaccompanied minors from Honduras and Guatemala. Although the administration had claimed that they were attempting to reunite the children with their parents, the judge found that, “counsel could not identify a single instance of coordination between a parent and any government—American or Guatemalan.”

H-1B Non-Immigrant Visa Policy Update

Last Friday, the Trump Administration caused confusion and panic for American businesses when it announced a new $1000,000 fee for H-1B non-immigrant visas for skilled workers. The language of the proclamation signed on September 19 was muddled, leaving businesses, employees, and lawyers scrambling as they tried to figure out who the new order actually applied to. Many current H-1B holders who were overseas at the time of the announcement spent thousands on new flights as they tried to come back to the US before the proclamation took effect at 12:01am on Sunday. 

Under pressure from companies and attorneys to provide better guidance, the administration on Saturday clarified that the new fee only applies to new H-1B applications, and not to current visa holders, even if they are out of the country. H-1B visas are made available each year through a lottery system held in February

Despite the clarification from the administration, questions still exist as the administration officials have been giving conflicting information on the fee. H-1B visas are good for 3 years and can be renewed once. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters that the new fee would be charged annually, but other administration sources have said that the fee would only be a one time charge and would not apply to renewals, although that could change. Meanwhile, per the proclamation itself, the fee is set to expire after 1 year, although many expect it to be renewed next year. As with many moves by the administration, many are also questioning whether the president has the legal authority to implement such a substantial price increase as Congress has only authorized the administration to set fees to recover the cost of application adjudication. 

IN THE COURTS

On September 18, The judge in State of California v. United States Department of Agriculture issued a temporary restraining order to stop USDA from taking any further steps to demand SNAP recipient’s personal data or impose fiscal penalties on the 20 states and DC that are parties in the lawsuit.  In addition, a CMS final rule, “Medicaid Eligibility Changes Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010; Giving States Freedom to Use Immigration Information to Determine State Residency for Medicaid Eligibility,” cleared OMB’s EO 12866 regulatory review.

L.A. petition alleges ‘ethnic cleansing’ by federal immigration agents, demands U.N. probe Rep. Maxine Waters and a group of U.S. citizens are petitioning the United Nations to investigate the Trump administration sweeps for potential human rights violations. Filed partly on behalf of four U.S. citizens, including a pregnant woman who was shackled and detained during one raid, the petition accuses federal agents of waging a campaign of ‘’ethnic cleansing against Latino minorities in the United States,” and calls on the U.N. Human Rights Council to appoint independent investigators to scrutinize “kidnapping arrests, prolonged detentions without due process of law and the brutal excessive use of force.”– The Los Angeles Times

Portland Is Taking Steps To Revoke an ICE Facility’s Land Use Permit City officials say they’ve uncovered 25 prolonged detentions in violation of its land use permit, which could provide an opening to shut down Oregon’s only ICE facility. – Next City

IN THE COMMUNITY

Community rallies in support of Massachusetts man taken by ICE, calls for his release Dozens of residents and elected officials in Malden, Massachusetts rallied Monday in support of Hernan Escobar, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while on his way to work last week.  “He’s going to feel so loved. So supported. He is so grateful, as I am, for all of you here,” Escobar’s wife Leslie Perera Gonzalez said at the rally. She said that her husband is a good man who does things for others and has been taking care of his ailing mother. – CBS News

‘Everyone is trying to figure out how to do their part’: East Somerville is keeping watch amid an ICE surge Residents of this self-described “sanctuary city” have been taking extraordinary steps to try to help their neighbors, repeatedly flocking to the streets to collect evidence. . . . “Our state and local institutions are not in a sufficient posture to protect our residents,” Scott said. “So community support is really the best way that we can keep each other safe.” – Boston Globe

INSPIRATION AND WAYS TO TAKE ACTION

Featured artist and activist Rosalia Torres-Weiner of Calaca Studios

Join MIRA on October 12 for HONKfest!

FOR YOU

IN THE COURTS

Judge blocks a Trump policy cutting off some social services for immigrants in the US illegally

A federal judge has blocked Trump administration restrictions on federally-funded services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education.The preliminary ruling by Hon. Mary McElroy was issued pursuant to a suit challenging the guidance by the State of New York and 19 other states, and it applies in those states. The judge cites the harm resulting to people in immigrant families under the policy, as well as the “the confusion and chaos imposed by an overnight change to a thirty-year-old interpretation of a law.”

The guidance, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in July, denies lawfully present immigrants access to care at community health centers and substance abuse and mental health providers, early learning opportunities through Head Start, child abuse and prevention services, and other social services.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Last week close to 500 people  demonstrated to show support for immigrant communities in front of the ICE detention facility in Burlington MA. If you would like to participate in weekly demonstrations, join the Facebook group Bearing Witness @ Burlington ICE Office

Avel-No Protests Avelo Airlines has become the first commercial airline to profit from secretive deportation flights, which lack due process and legal counsel. Protests began and continue across the country, part of a growing, nationwide effort to make it politically and publicly impossible for Avelo to continue these human rights abuses. Find more information and how to get involved here

INSPIRATION
Featured artist: Arthur Sze, 25th U.S. Poet Laureate (assumes the office October 9, 2025)

Arthur Sze is appointed U.S. poet laureate as the Library of Congress faces challenges: Sze is a New York City native and son of Chinese immigrants who explores themes of cultural and environmental diversity, and what he calls “coexisting.” —The Associated Press

WAYS TO TAKE ACTION

Protect your state’s voter rolls from federal overreach.

Contact: Your state’s Secretary of State or chief election official (look up).

Script: Hello, my name is _____, contacting you from [ZIP] to urge you to follow Maine’s example and refuse to divulge [STATE]’s protected voter information to the Justice Department. The DOJ’s request for sensitive voter information violates the Privacy Act of 1974, and states need to affirm their constitutionally granted jurisdiction over elections. Please protect [STATE]’s voters from this illegal abuse of federal power. Thank you.

Source: Brennan Center, Americans of Conscience

Support aspiring Americans in your community.

The current administration has deployed more than 42,000 additional agents across the U.S. to increase immigration detention. These ICE raids have led to multiple cases of legally questionable arrests and wrongful detention of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. Learn your rights as a bystander during an ICE raid and how to help people by safely documenting their arrest. 

• Watch: The We Have Rights video When Documenting ICE Arrests.
• Read: This infographic from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.
• Learn: The WITNESS checklist for Sharing Videos of Immigration Enforcement.
• Share: MIRA’s Know Your Rights Resources for immigrants – includes resources for individuals, families, educators, employers, and allies in multiple languages
• Learn further: We Have Rights and Eyes on ICE.

Source: AoCC, MIRA, Americans of Conscience

Show welcome to people seeking refuge here.

The current administration is denying people seeking refuge in the U.S., cutting funding for resettlement programs, increasing immigration raids in protected cities, and excluding many aspiring Americans from food-stamp and healthcare eligibility. That means it’s up to us to make sure our neighbors know they’re welcome as they work to rebuild their lives here.

Sign this Action Alert: Advocate for a refugee admissions goal that reflects humanitarian values and responds to global need EMAIL YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE – it takes less than a minute

Show your support for refugees by putting together a Global Refuge Neighbor Kit.

The current administration is denying people seeking refuge in the U.S., cutting funding for resettlement programs, increasing immigration raids in protected cities, and excluding many aspiring Americans from food-stamp and healthcare eligibility. That means it’s up to us to make sure our neighbors know they’re welcome as they work to rebuild their lives here. 

Build your kit: Put together any of the following: a Youth Mentorship Kit, a Community Garden Kit, a Home & Kitchen Kit, and/or a Health & Wellness Kit. Then, register it with Global Refuge for information on shipping to where it’s needed.

Source: Global Refuge, Americans of Conscience

Citizenship Day and Constitution Day Hit Different in 2025

The struggle for voting rights in America has never been a straight line toward progress. From the exclusion of women and people of color in our founding documents, to the hard-fought battles for the 15th and 19th Amendments, to the Jim Crow-era poll taxes and literacy tests and the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, each generation has faced efforts to restrict democratic participation among marginalized communities. The current administration’s  attacks on both citizenship pathways and voting access represent the latest chapter in this ongoing struggle.

This Constitution Day, also celebrated as Citizenship Day, occurring during National Voter Registration Week, carries profound significance as we witness unprecedented attacks on the fundamental rights that define American democracy. From the 23,600 Massachusetts residents who became newly-naturalized U.S. citizens in FY2024, to millions of eligible voters across the nation, marginalized communities face systemic and systematic barriers designed to limit their participation in American civic life.

Citizenship Under Attack

Since retaking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has made it increasingly difficult for immigrants to achieve citizenship. The reintroduction of “neighborhood checks”—a practice abandoned in the 1990s due to ineffectiveness—creates an atmosphere of surveillance and intimidation around citizenship applications. More troubling is the administration’s pledge to scrutinize “good moral character” qualifications more heavily, a thinly-veiled attempt to slow an already lengthy process that keeps aspiring citizens in limbo.

The impact extends beyond individual applicants. Across the nation, the administration has slashed funding to nonprofits that help citizenship candidates prepare paperwork, study English, and practice for the naturalization interview and test. Organizations in Southern California, Northern Virginia, and the Midwest have been forced to cut critical community programs, leaving vulnerable immigrant communities without essential support systems.

Voting Rights in the Crosshairs

The administration’s assault on democratic participation expanded dramatically with the March 2025 executive order “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” This sweeping directive targets voting access through multiple mechanisms that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

The requirement for documentary proof of citizenship—such as a passport—to register for federal elections, creates insurmountable barriers for low-income Americans, many of whom lack such documents. Similarly, mandating that all mail-in ballots arrive by Election Day, regardless of postmark, effectively disenfranchises voters in rural areas, military personnel overseas, and communities with unreliable postal service.

Perhaps most concerning is the directive requiring federal agencies to review state voter registration lists and potentially subpoena records for “list maintenance.” This echoes the voter registration fraud prosecutions reminiscent of the George W. Bush era, which primarily targeted nonpartisan voter registration drives serving communities of color. As of September 11, 2025  33 million voters had already been run through the administration’s “citizenship check”.

Federal Agencies Weaponized

The transformation of federal agencies reveals the administration’s systematic approach to restricting rights. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division—traditionally a defender of voting rights—has dropped voting rights lawsuits and withdrawn from cases protecting electoral access. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has tied election security grants to state voting policies while removing language that explicitly banned using grant money for voter suppression activities.

Legal Resistance and Community Response

Federal courts have provided some relief, with judges blocking key provisions of the executive order in June 2025, ruling that the president exceeded constitutional authority. The ACLU and voting rights organizations have mounted vigorous legal challenges, arguing these policies constitute an unconstitutional power grab targeting eligible voters.

However, the damage extends beyond policy implementation. Three states eliminated grace periods for mail-in ballots by July 2025, while the climate of intimidation affects both citizenship applicants and potential voters in marginalized communities.

A Call to Action

Massachusetts, home to over 200,000 immigrants eligible for U.S. citizenship, exemplifies both the challenge and the opportunity. The state’s federal delegation must intensify efforts to condemn neighborhood checks and advocate for increased funding for citizenship assistance organizations.

For immigrant communities, giving in to the administration’s fear-mongering would abandon dreams pursued for years. Organizations like MIRA and dozens of immigrant nonprofits across Massachusetts and nationally continue working daily to protect immigrants’ rights, safety, and futures.

This Constitution Day reminds us that American democracy has always been strengthened by new citizens and expanded voting access. The current attacks on both citizenship pathways and voting rights represent a fundamental threat to the constitutional principles of due process and equal protection – for new citizens; for native-born citizens; for everyone who lives in the U.S.

As we celebrate those 23,600 new Massachusetts citizens, we must also recommit to defending the constitutional rights that make their achievements—and our democracy—possible. The strength of our constitutional system depends not just on the document we celebrate, but on our collective commitment to ensuring its protections reach every community.

What you can do:

Celebrate National Voter Registration Week 2025 by making sure you’re ready for this year’s elections, and encouraging your friends to do the same. 

Even though it’s not a presidential or congressional election year, local elections will determine vital things like whether your city can build more housing, books stay on school shelves, or local governments assist ICE. Your vote matters!

• Confirm that your voter registration is still valid (or register to vote for the first time by your state’s deadline).
• Update your address or re-register if you’ve recently moved.
• Make a plan to vote by mail or in person, whether early or on Election Day.
• Find out who and what is on your ballot.
• Ask two friends to register to vote or to verify their registrations. Studies show that people are more likely to vote if they are encouraged by someone they know.

Source: NonprofitVOTE, Americans of Conscience

Protect your state’s voter rolls from federal overreach.

Contact: Your state’s Secretary of State or chief election official (look up).

Script: Hello, my name is _____, contacting you from [ZIP] to urge you to follow Maine’s example and refuse to divulge [STATE]’s protected voter information to the Justice Department. The DOJ’s request for sensitive voter information violates the Privacy Act of 1974, and states need to affirm their constitutionally granted jurisdiction over elections. Please protect [STATE]’s voters from this illegal abuse of federal power. Thank you.

Source: Brennan Center, Americans of Conscience

Support MA State legislation that protects immigrant communities.

Use this easy link to share your support with your representatives in the State House. 

More information about the Protect Our Immigrant Communities campaign here, including a toolkit with social graphics and how to participate in a postcard campaign.

Source: MIRA

Support aspiring Americans in your community.

The current administration has deployed more than 42,000 additional agents across the U.S. to increase immigration detention. These ICE raids have led to multiple cases of legally questionable arrests and wrongful detention of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. Learn your rights as a bystander during an ICE raid and how to help people by safely documenting their arrest. 

• Watch: The We Have Rights video When Documenting ICE Arrests.
• Read: This infographic from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.
• Learn: The WITNESS checklist for Sharing Videos of Immigration Enforcement.
• Share: MIRA’s Know Your Rights Resources for immigrants – includes resources for individuals, families, educators, employers, and allies in multiple languages
• Learn further: We Have Rights and Eyes on ICE.

Source: AoCC, MIRA, Americans of Conscience

Hold Kristi Noem and ICE accountable.

Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).

Script: Hi, my name is _____, and I’m reaching out from [ZIP] to urge an investigation into Kristi Noem’s unethical actions as DHS Secretary. Secretary Noem has shown a consistent pattern of unconstitutional overreach, endangerment of U.S. citizens, and blatant violations of civil rights under her leadership. I join more than 70 national and regional organizations in calling on [Sen./Rep. NAME] to investigate DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and hold her accountable for her actions.

Bonus: Complete this NILC form to demand Congress conduct ICE oversight (uncheck “I’d like to subscribe to NILC’s email list”, or get on the email list for future updates).

Source: Mi Familia Vota, Americans of Conscience

Sources:
Voting Rights in America – Two Centuries of Struggle by Bruce Hartford

America’s Long History of Black Voter Suppression: A timeline of new and old efforts to limit the political power of Black Americans and other voters of color Analysis by Brandon Tensley, CNN

Fiscal Year 2024 Naturalization Statistics – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

U.S. to resume “neighborhood checks” for citizenship applications as part of Trump push to heavily vet immigrants – CBS

Trump administration expands ‘good moral character’ requirement to become naturalized citizen – CNN

DHS cuts funds for groups helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens – Washington Post

Trump signs new executive order to change election rules: What we know – Al Jazeera

Trump administration demands state voter data, including partial Social Security numbers – CNN

33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check – NPR

Under Trump, the Justice Department is stepping away from some voting rights cases – NPR

DHS to states: Follow our voting rules or lose out on election security money – NPR

Judge blocks Trump administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote – ABC

A 2nd judge halts more of Trump’s voting executive order – NPR

Immigrants In Massachusetts – American Immigration Council

September 17th is National Citizenship Day. As we celebrate new Americans who have taken the step to become U.S citizens, we fully acknowledge the massive threats and fears facing immigrant communities across the nation, which makes obtaining U.S. citizenship increasingly challenging.

With rapidly changing policies and the ongoing attacks on immigrants by the Trump administration, many potential applicants are discouraged by the significant financial investment, the lengthy processes and the lack of clear pathways and trusted support to navigate the system.

Moreover, systemic barriers prevent immigrants from obtaining Citizenship such as, the  Lack of Assistance  with the complicated application process, the Complex Requirements that are not always easily understood by immigrants, and the growing Fear of the Process.

Nonetheless, pro-immigrant organizations and immigrant rights advocates around the nation believe it’s important to continue to encourage eligible residents to attain permanent status, as this continues to be the strongest protection from deportation. MIRA’s Citizenship department offers FREE citizenship assistance. Visit our website for more information and to find out about our upcoming citizenship clinics.

Tell your state legislators where you stand—email them today. Takes less than 60 seconds!

State Legislators Must Take Action on Immigration

For eight years, Massachusetts lawmakers have had a chance to pass the Safe Communities Act. Eight years. Since the Trump administration rolled out its first wave of anti-immigrant policies in 2017, this bill has failed to advance, despite securing the public safety committee’s favorable report every session since 2020. Meanwhile, our immigrant families continue to live in fear of local police and court collaboration with ICE.

The problem is urgent. Across Massachusetts, federal immigration enforcement is ramping up. Since January, ICE arrests in our state have surged by 336 percent. And here’s the truth: 78 percent of those arrested in Massachusetts have no criminal record. This isn’t about public safety; it’s about mass deportation.

The federal government has openly set a goal of deporting one million people a year, or 3,000 people a day. The only way they can reach that number is two-fold: by stripping lawfully-present immigrants of protections, and by leveraging state and local resources for immigration enforcement through formal and informal agreements with ICE.

ICE is aggressively securing formal collaboration agreements under a federal program known as 287(g). These agreements confer federal immigration authority to local police and sheriffs, empowering them to make civil immigration arrests and place people in deportation proceedings—at state taxpayers’ considerable expense. Nationally, the number of 287(g) agreements has exploded from 135 in January to 958 today, spanning 40 states—twelve in neighboring New Hampshire, where many Massachusetts immigrants commute to work. 

Moreover, ICE is reportedly seeking both formal and informal agreements with police chiefs here in Massachusetts—and there is evidence that at least some MA police chiefs are already informally assisting ICE in civil immigration arrests. We can’t let that happen here.

Here’s where the Safe Communities Act matters.

• Massachusetts can join the growing number of states that protect against federal overreach, ensuring that public safety resources are used for local needs, not for fueling deportations and family separation.
• It would prohibit 287(g) agreements, limit police involvement with ICE, and secure basic due process rights for detained immigrants. California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and, most recently, Delaware have already stepped up by banning 287(g) agreements.

Limited police resources should be used to protect our communities from crime. Civil immigration enforcement is not our job. 

Opponents argue there’s no need to ban 287(g) agreements because no new agreements have been entered into here. (The Massachusetts Department of Corrections has the remaining 287(g) with ICE.) But that’s exactly the point: prevention is far easier than repair. A new contract would cause immediate damage: local police diverted from community safety, taxpayer dollars wasted, and trust with immigrant families broken. Undoing that harm would be far harder and costlier than acting now to prevent it.

State legislators tell us they’re concerned about the corrosive fear that’s taken hold in their immigrant districts. But concern is not enough. Families need action. And a majority of the public agrees. 62 percent of Boston voters view the Boston Trust Act, a local version of the Safe Communities Act, “strongly” favorably. In the very city where ICE has launched its most aggressive operations, the people are ahead of their leaders. It’s time for Beacon Hill to catch up.

Massachusetts has waited long enough. It’s time to pass the Safe Communities Act.

🚨 ACTION: Tell your state legislators where you stand—email them today and urge them to co-sponsor our two priority immigration bills, the Safe Communities Act and the Immigrant Legal Defense Act.

On August 29th, a federal judge temporarily blocked the expedited removal of those who entered the country under parole.Under immigration law, expedited removal allows the government to deport those who entered without inspection within the previous 2 years. However the law also specifically excludes those who have been paroled into the country from being subject to expedited removal.Under the Trump Administration, ICE has been ignoring this section of the law and using expedited removal against thousands of people who were paroled into the country under the Biden Administration.

BOSTON, MA – In response to the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Boston’s Trust Act,
Elizabeth Sweet, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy
(MIRA) Coalition, issued the following statement:
“Boston’s Trust Act has not just kept the city safe, but has created an environment where law
enforcement officials and Boston’s immigrant communities have built strong relationships. No
one should ever have to second guess whether or not they should dial 9-1-1 in an emergency
or ask a police officer for help on the street. There is a reason Boston remains the safest major
city in America. We condemn the Trump administration’s baseless lawsuit against the Trust Act,
which we know the Wu administration will fight hard for in court. Mayor Wu has supported
Boston’s immigrants through all the challenges the Trump administration has thrown their way
and we are confident she will not stop anytime soon.

Media inquiries: Alex Psilakis | apsilakis@melwoodglobal.com
Ellen Fleming | efleming@melwoodglobal.com