Immigrant & Multicultural Affairs
Transition Policy Committee Summary of Findings
Committee Name
Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs Committee
Committee Members
Ivan Abarca-Torres, Sonia Conde, Pilar Galvez, Sara Kirubi, Father Alejandro Lopez, Paula Magnelli, Alex Pirie, and Aaron Soroa
Key themes and trends:
Values–Implementation Gap: Strong pro-immigrant values exist, but systems are fragmented and ineffective.
Insufficient Communication with Immigrants: Low trust in official channels; immigrant residents rely on WhatsApp, schools, nonprofits, and faith institutions for information.
Crisis Response Deficit: Lack of emergency response, rapid legal access, and coordinated detention support.
Lack of Open-Door Policy for Immigrant Support Services: Limited alignment among city departments, nonprofits, schools, and community partners.
Shift Toward Operational Sanctuary: Clear opportunity to move from symbolic commitment to coordinated, 24/7 protection and support.
Existing initiatives:
N/A - Despite having asked the explicit question to this group about existing Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA) initiatives, no members of the group shared current programs that are working well.
Gaps:
1. Communication
No centralized, trusted communication system for immigrants.
City information is not received by many immigrants when posted on official websites or social media alone.
The information needs to get where people receive trusted information, like WhatsApp. WhatsApp is the dominant communication tool among immigrants, yet the city does not actively use it.
Misinformation spreads faster than official guidance (e.g., vaccines, ICE activity).
Outreach fails to reach most immigrant communities, especially new immigrants.
Dissemination of information is fragmented across nonprofits, schools, and faith institutions.
Impact: Families do not receive time-sensitive information during times of crises, which undermines safety, trust, and access to services.
2. Crisis & Detention Response Gaps
No immigration emergency hotline despite ICE detentions occurring after office hours or on the weekends.
2–3 hour window after detention to get legal support is consistently missed.
Walk-in immigrant support services available at office or on phone even without appointment.
Families experience panic, isolation, and fear immediately after arrests without any city support.
Lack of visible city action post-arrest increases community anxiety.
Impact: Detention outcomes worsen due to delayed legal intervention; families face cascading harm (housing, childcare, income).
3. Legal & Post-Arrest Support Gaps
Legal representation costs ($10–20k) are prohibitive and most immigrants don't know the city could help with legal representation.
City attorneys are underutilized as public legal educators.
Individual arrest cases are not made visible (even in anonymized form), reducing advocacy leverage.
Limited coordination with: State Representatives, Regional bodies (e.g., Metropolitan Area Planning Council aka MAPC) and Neighboring cities.
4. Service Fragmentation & Structural Gaps
Services are offered by appointment only
No Office of Immigrant Affairs to coordinate wraparound services for immigrants
Collapse of immigrant-serving infrastructure (from 7 nonprofits in past years to 1 major hub, SOIA, that is not effective). Multiple immigrant non-profits have left the City of Somerville.
Risk of duplication among current nonprofits due to lack of coordination.
Major gap between available services and services actually accessed.
No holistic, family-centered case management system.
With support from the city, non-profits could help to alleviate the work with immigrants.
Opportunities:
1. Trusted Networks Already Exist
Capitalize on trusted networks such as faith institutions, school liaisons, PTAs, and community-based organizations (Padres Latinos, The Welcome Project), all of which are consistent, reliable access points.
Hire more social workers in libraries (such as dynamic community members like Jake Savage)
2. Somerville's Identity as an Immigrant City
Take advantage of our Sanctuary city status + historical immigrant narrative to more fully support immigrants
Leverage strong public values to shift actions from symbolic inclusion to functional protection.
3. City as Convener
The City's Office of Immigrant Affairs can unify nonprofits, schools, faith groups, and other groups to support immigrant communities.
Regional collaboration with surrounding city governments, Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants (ORI), Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (MIRA), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and MAPC can help pool legal and financial resources.
Fundraisers can serve dual purposes: legal aid + community bonding.
4. Cultural Visibility as Protection
Organize public events, storytelling, and celebration to increase belonging and reduce fear.
Partner with Somerville Museum, Tufts University, Somerville Arts Council and other groups to share immigrant stories and celebrate other cultures.
Host multicultural events, which can be a platform for education as well as to promote rights and solidarity.
Recommendations for action:
Short term recommendations:
1. Launch a Trusted Communications System
City-coordinated WhatsApp or other city-wide system
Messaging delivered by trusted messengers, not only city branding. For example, schools, religious institutions, community advocates, non-profits, etc.
Disseminate city-wide information such as: city emergencies, Know Your Rights sessions, ICE response guidance, public health updates
2. Establish an Immigration Crisis Response System
24/7 immigration hotline
Clear rapid-response protocol for detentions; Legal triage within 2–3 hours
Create a fund for family stabilization support while a family member is in detention (groceries, rent assistance, emotional and legal support, etc.)
3. Expand School-Based and Family-Centered Outreach
Ensure immigrants are aware of how city can help them
Offer one-stop services (health navigation, school enrollment, etc)
Use schools to counter misinformation and build trust.
Medium term recommendations:
1. Create a full-service Office of Immigrant Affairs
Central coordination hub for: legal services, Know your Rights, workers' rights, housing stabilization, education and health enrollment, etc.
Create an Immigrant Advisory Council of community advocates with representation from the largest ethnic groups in the city.
Connect immigrants with different services offered by the city and outside of the city (ORI, MIRA, etc)
2. Build a Legal Defense & Rapid Legal Access System
City-backed legal defense fund for emergency cases.
Standing partnerships with pro bono law firms to cover cases not included in what is covered with current partnerships with law firms
City attorneys provide plain-language legal education about what the city stands for.
3. Convene a City-wide Immigrant Services Coalition
Regular coordination between: nonprofits, community groups, schools, faith institutions, etc
Create a system for referral pathways for immigrants to access city services.
Real-time updates on policy and enforcement changes.
Long term recommendations:
1. Integrate Housing Stability into Immigration Support
The Office of Immigrant Affairs must be a one stop service to support immigrants (for families in particular so they are taken care of in a holistic way (education, health, economic development, immigration protection and rights, worker rights, community, etc).
Align Office of Housing Stability with immigrant crisis protocols.
Prioritize mixed-status families for stabilization resources.
Explore municipal vouchers and rent protections.
2. Increase Immigrant Visibility through Celebrations and Public Narrative Shift
Organize immigrant-centered citywide events annually.
Celebrate immigrant histories past and present.
Publicly affirm Somerville as an immigrant city–vocally and consistently.
3. Make the Office of Immigrant Affairs the city's official lead office responsible for aligning immigrant-related policy, crisis response, and interdepartmental action across housing, schools, health, and public safety.
