Boston’s immigrant services office seeks added funding as City expands legal aid and community support

Budget debate centers on legal services, language access, and city limits on civil immigration enforcement

Boston officials are pressing for expanded funding tied to immigrant and refugee support as the city weighs how to sustain services amid heightened federal immigration enforcement activity and legal challenges to sanctuary-style policies.

In the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget framework, Boston’s recommended operating budget totals $4.8 billion. Within that plan, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) is slated for an increase, with city budget documents describing added dollars intended to bolster legal support programs. The overall city spending plan reflects modest growth compared with the prior year’s baseline, while also accounting for rising long-term obligations such as pensions and debt service.

Separately from the operating budget, Mayor Michelle Wu announced on March 10, 2026, a $4.5 million public-private funding initiative to support immigrant services, including legal assistance, English-language education, and family support. The package includes $1.3 million from the city and more than $3.1 million from three philanthropic organizations: The Boston Foundation, The Barr Foundation, and United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

The initiative was presented as an effort to maintain access to services for immigrant residents, while city leaders emphasized that Boston’s response would focus on community stability and support resources.

In recent budget deliberations, the Boston City Council has also directed added funding toward immigration-related legal support. Council documents and public summaries of the fiscal 2026 amendment process describe an allocation for expanded legal support services associated with MOIA, reflecting councilors’ focus on representation and referrals for residents navigating immigration proceedings.

Programs and policy backdrop

MOIA administers grant programs and partnerships that fund community-based organizations providing immigration legal access and other supports. In the fiscal year 2026 cycle, the city announced $1.25 million in grantmaking to support legal access, community-led mental health and well-being programming, and neighborhood support initiatives.

The policy context includes city and state measures that limit the use of local resources for civil immigration enforcement. Boston’s local framework restricts city support for federal civil immigration operations, and Massachusetts’ high court has held that police authority does not extend to holding individuals solely on federal civil immigration detainers. State-level actions have also sought to constrain certain forms of cooperation with federal immigration enforcement in public facilities without judicial warrants.

Key funding elements under discussion

• Operating budget growth for MOIA described as supporting expanded legal support programs.
• $4.5 million public-private initiative for legal aid, English-language education, and family support needs.
• Grantmaking for nonprofit partners focused on immigration legal access and related community services.

City budget hearings and grant cycles are expected to continue shaping how immigrant-serving programs are funded and delivered across Boston neighborhoods, including the scale of legal assistance and language access supports available in the coming fiscal year.