Framingham Officials, Legal Experts Provide Immigration Rights Guidance at Community Meeting

City’s Human Relations Commission hosts online webinar addressing community fears amid increased federal enforcement

May 22, 2025 - Framingham, MA

Framingham city officials and immigration attorneys provided practical guidance to community members Thursday evening during an online webinar addressing immigrant rights and safety amid reports of increased federal immigration enforcement in the area.

“People are scared, concerned, and in some cases, angry, and they want answers,” said Jesse Edwards, Framingham’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, who opened the May 22 webinar hosted by the city’s Human Relations Commission.

The two-hour session featured presentations from legal experts, community service providers, advocacy organizations, and school officials, all aimed at providing “accurate information, practical guidance, and supportive resources,” according to Edwards.

Legal Rights and Family Preparedness Take Center Stage

Aviva Schaffer, supervising attorney for the immigration unit at MetroWest Legal Services, led off the session by emphasizing that constitutional rights apply to everyone regardless of immigration status.

“Information gives people power,” Schaffer told attendees, before outlining fundamental rights including the right to remain silent, the right not to sign papers, and protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

Schaffer stressed a crucial point about home visits: “ICE will see opening the door as permission to enter.” She advised residents to ask for judicial warrants to be slipped under the door or shown through windows, noting that valid warrants must say “U.S. District Court,” be signed by a judge, and specify what agents are looking for.

When stopped in public, Schaffer emphasized the importance of asking “Am I free to go?” before answering other questions, while cautioning against lying to law enforcement. “Lying makes the situation worse for everybody involved,” she said.

The attorney also highlighted that “exercising your rights may not prevent you from being detained, but it may make it possible to challenge the detention later on.”

Emergency Planning Benefits All Families

A significant portion of Schaffer’s presentation focused on family preparedness planning, which she noted applies to any emergency situation, not just immigration enforcement. The five-step plan includes:

Memorizing key phone numbers since phones are confiscated during detention, organizing important documents in a central location, creating responsibility lists for daily tasks like paying rent and picking up children from school, saving money for potential bonds (minimum $1,500), and gathering evidence to support bond requests.

“Everyone has day to day responsibilities and it’s important to make a list of what those responsibilities are and who will do them in the person’s absence,” Schaffer explained, citing examples like administering medication and pet care.

New Federal Registration Requirement

Schaffer informed attendees about a recently implemented federal requirement that all non-citizens in the United States for more than 30 days must register with immigration authorities. The requirement varies by age, with those 14 and older required to provide fingerprints and those over 18 required to carry proof of registration.

Many immigrants are already considered registered, including those with green cards, work permits, or notices to appear in immigration court, according to Schaffer.

Community Support Services Available

Liliane Costa, Executive Director of BRACE (Brazilian-American Center), outlined extensive community services available to immigrant families. In 2024 alone, BRACE enrolled 10,292 people in MassHealth and Health Connector, provided 7,134 consular services, helped 41 families complete citizenship applications, and answered 4,217 general information requests.

“Any residents who walks through our door can get a one stop referral to housing, food pantries, legal clinics and mental health counseling,” Costa said during her presentation.

Advocacy and Community Engagement

Jessica Chicco from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) focused on ways community members can become engaged in immigrant advocacy. She shared statistics showing that immigrants founded a quarter of new U.S. businesses in Massachusetts and that undocumented immigrants paid $252.5 million in state and local taxes in 2019.

Chicco emphasized the power of individual stories over statistics in changing opinions about immigration. “Sometimes when we advocate for immigrants, it can be helpful to be able to share some basic statistics,” she said, while noting that personal narratives often have greater impact.

MIRA is currently advocating for two priority bills: the Safe Communities Act, which would separate local law enforcement from immigration enforcement, and the Immigrant Legal Defense Act, which would create funding for free legal representation for those facing deportation.

School Officials Address Attendance Concerns

Framingham Public Schools Superintendent Bob Tremblay and Keefe Technical High School Superintendent Jon Evans addressed specific concerns about school safety and attendance requirements.

Tremblay reported that early in the year, fears led to a dramatic spike in absences. “We had 2,500 student absences that day out of just over 9,000 students,” he said. “It really makes teaching and learning impossible when you have those kinds of absenteeism situations.”

Both superintendents emphasized that they have not seen immigration enforcement on school property, though Tremblay acknowledged there may have been “adjacent encounters” that are “concerning and traumatic.”

The school officials stressed that attendance is required by law for students ages 6-16. “Don’t put yourself in a situation to knowingly break the law,” Tremblay advised parents. “Children must come to school.”

Tremblay acknowledged the limits of what schools can promise: “You can’t promise safety or a full insulation from the harm around us,” but noted that schools have policies, procedures, and trained professionals to help students work through concerns or trauma.

Critical Resources and Contact Information

The meeting provided several key resources for community members:

MetroWest Legal Services offers free immigration legal clinics every six weeks for low-income residents. Their intake line is 508-620-1830, though Schaffer cautioned against calling immediately to avoid overwhelming phone lines.

MIRA Immigration Helpline (508-293-1871) provides information and referrals in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, though not emergency response or legal representation.

LUCE Hotline (617-370-5023) serves as a statewide ICE watch and verification service, active from 5am to 9pm, where community members can report ICE activity to alert others and potentially send trained observers.

Document Access and Verification

Speakers provided several online resources for checking immigration status and avoiding scams:

• Immigration application status: https://egov.uscis.gov/
• Processing times: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/
  
• Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder: https://masslrf.org/en/home
• Immigration scam information: https://miracoalition.org/immigration-scams-and-notario-fraud-information/

The attorneys warned against fraudulent legal representation, noting that in the United States, notary publics cannot provide legal advice, unlike in some other countries.

Looking Forward

Edwards announced that the webinar recording will be uploaded to the City of Framingham’s YouTube channel for ongoing community access. The session concluded with an extended question-and-answer period addressing specific concerns from attendees.

The meeting represented part of the city’s ongoing commitment to ensure “every member of our community feels informed, protected and valued, regardless of immigration status,” according to Edwards.

Schaffer’s MetroWest Legal Services will reopen clinic scheduling in the coming weeks, and community members were encouraged to call their intake line for consultations. The organization serves the Framingham area and surrounding towns, providing not only immigration services but also housing, family law, benefits law, and other civil legal aid.

The webinar was conducted with interpretation services in Spanish and Portuguese, reflecting the linguistic diversity of Framingham’s immigrant community.

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