Reach forum connects Waltham immigrant community with statewide resources
Reach, a Waltham-based aid group servicing survivors of domestic violence in the region, last week brought together community, state and international resources to help foreign-born residents concerned about their immigration status.
The July 23 forum featured a panel presentation held in English and Spanish, free 15-minute appointments with lawyers specializing in family or immigration law, and representatives from other groups, such as MassHealth and the Guatemalan consulate general, offering resources.
Panelists advised attendees on how to get financial and legal assistance if a family member was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the importance of planning in advance for the possibility of a family member being detained or deported.
They also stressed that there are protections and services available for undocumented immigrants. For example, Sarah Stuart, an associate commissioner at the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance, said that although most DTA benefits can only be accessed by U.S. citizens, people can apply for eligible household members without having to disclose their own personal immigration status.
Others noted how current immigration enforcement action is impacting the broader community.
More specifically, Waltham Police Department Detective Sgt. Patrick Dean said fears of deportation have been making local police work more difficult. “People are afraid that if they contact the police, somehow ICE is going to be knocking on their door immediately,” he said.
He emphasized that the Waltham Police Department is independent of ICE and that its job is to enforce local and state law, not to investigate people’s immigration status. He urged all Waltham residents to call the police if they witness a crime.
Reach Executive Director Amarely Gutiérrez Oliver closed the panel discussion by reading out audience questions, such as how to deescalate ICE arrests and how SNAP food benefits for low-income families and MassHealth will be affected by recent federal funding cuts.
The state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants Executive Director Cristina Aguilera Sandoval said she’s seen and attended multiple events like this over the last month and a half, usually organized “on a very hyperlocal level.”
Attendees didn’t fully fill the chairs at the event, held in the gym at the Waltham Boys & Girls Club. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and City Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur were among the attendees. Bradley-MacArthur wore a pink vest from Fuerza, a local group supporting families impacted by ICE enforcement actions.
Gutiérrez Oliver said multiple Reach clients decided not to attend last week’s event, citing safety concerns with appearing in public where they could be recognized by abusers or by immigration services.
Mari Vara-Pineda, Reach’s intake coordinator, said increasing fear of deportations negatively affects the organization’s work helping survivors of domestic violence. “A lot of the individuals we serve are undocumented immigrants,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of people not want to get restraining orders and staying in unhealthy relationships and not using their voice [because] they’re scared of getting deported or ICE showing up to their house.”
Reach spotlighted the following resources at its July 23 event
- The state Office for Refugees and Immigrants maintains an online dashboard with resources for communities and families of those who have been detained by ICE.
- Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, or BIJAN, offers legal and financial aid for people in ICE detention and their families. Its hotline for individuals in ICE detention is (617) 637-8195, and its hotline for families of detainees is (617) 396-7143.
- BIJAN is part of the LUCE network of immigration justice organizations, which tracks ICE sightings across the state. Call (627) 370-5023 to report information to the network.
- Fuerza, which tracks ICE sightings in Waltham and offers assistance to individuals and families facing issues around ICE detention, can be reached at walthamfuerza@gmail.com.
- MassHealth offers options to maintain healthcare coverage via the MyServices app, which consolidates information about coverage, notices and MassHealth ID cards. MassHealth also offers multilingual coverage applications on its website.
Gutiérrez Oliver said that she hopes to organize another immigration forum in the future, with more resources for needs like housing.
Fuerza founder Jonathan Paz also spoke about the local impact of ICE actions.
“Every aspect of our safety net is being attacked. Our schools are under attack, our housing is under attack. Our immigration system is under attack. The process is under attack,” he said. “Due process is being violated left and right. Are we gonna just stand by and watch families fall apart when they didn’t have a day in court?”
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