Resources for TPS Holders

The U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of people with legal status in the United States. This decision leaves tens of thousands of Haitians and Syrians in Massachusetts vulnerable to deportation.

Here are some resources to help those in Massachusetts impacted by the revocation of TPS.

To find an attorney, consult Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder: https://masslrf.org/en/triage/start/immigration

For those who are currently in removal proceedings (both detained and non-detained people), and who need free legal representation in immigration court, visit the Massachusetts Access to Counsel website: https://miracoalition.org/massachusetts-massachusetts-access-to-counsel-initiative-maci/ or call (508) 505-4588.

• Resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Cape Verdean, Russian, French, Khmer, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.

For free immigration consultations in the Greater Boston area, visit:

• City of Boston: The Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement offers free one-time immigration consultations on the first and third Wednesday of every month from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.: https://www.boston.gov/departments/immigrant-advancement/free-immigration-consultations\
• Rian Immigrant Center: https://www.riancenter.org/what/immigration-legal-services/clinics/ or call 617-542-7654, option 1 and leave a message to be scheduled for a TPS-related consultation.

To check whether an attorney has faced any disciplinary action (such as for unethical behavior): Use the Board of Bar Overseers ‘Look Up an Attorney’ search feature https://www.massbbo.org/s/

For car rides, legal referrals, support in court, help with paperwork, and help with bond payments, contact the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN): https://www.beyondbondboston.org/ or call 617-396-7143

For emergency financial assistance, contact the United Way’s United Response Fund: https://unitedwaymassbay.org/united-response

For emergency food assistance, call or text Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline: 1-800-645-8333 or use the ‘Live Chat’ feature at https://projectbread.org/foodsource-hotline

• Hotline hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

If you notice Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, you can alert the Luce Defense Hotline: 617-370-5023 or visit lucemass.org

• The Luce hotline operates from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week across multiple languages: Spanish (ext 1), English (ext 2), Portuguese (ext 3), French (ext 4), Haitian Creole (ext 5), Mandarin (ext 6).

Learn your rights when interacting with police or ICE: https://www.aclum.org/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-if-you-are-questioned-about-your-immigration-status/

• Includes printable resources in multiple languages

To make a family preparedness plan: https://www.aclum.org/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-family-preparedness-plan/

Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) Community Resource Toolkit: https://www.mass.gov/community-resource-toolkit

For more info on the recent changes to TPS, visit: https://www.mass.gov/doc/resources-for-families-affected-by-recent-changes-to-temporary-protected-status-tps/download