Mayor Michelle Wu's office is doling out a big check to non-profits in Boston that are hitting the frontlines to offer legal help to the city's immigrant workers. A cool $650,000 in grants from the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) is going to 13 organizations ready to step up their game in assisting those navigating the labyrinth that is the U.S. immigration system, according to an announcement obtained by the City of Boston's official website. Each selected group is getting a piece of the pie, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to be used for anything from legal advice to helping folks know their rights at work.

The MOIA rolled out this program with the hope of lifting immigrant workers by bombing them with Know Your Rights training and legal help for those who've run into trouble with labor violations, the situation has been grim for many immigrant workers fearing to call out abuses because they're worried about their status Monique Tú Nguyen, MOIA Executive Director, pointed out in the statement. Wu chimed in, praising Boston as a city of immigrants saying that their contributions to the community are priceless and stressing the complexity and near-impossibility of solo navigation through the immigration system, information cited from the City of Boston's official site.

This financial aid is being spread across a diverse group of organizations. The list of impacted groups includes the Brazilian Worker Center, tasked with beefing up worker's rights initiatives; Centro Presente, which provides support to Temporary Protected Status applicants; and the Vietnamese American Civic Association, Inc, ready to help Vietnamese immigrants with legal services.

The grants, which are a slice of the City of Boston's FY24 operating budget, are intended to serve the community through till November 2024.