MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Inc.

09/01/2026

Check out this week's blog post, with links to back to school resources for students and educators! Back To School Season Is Here – A Message from MIRA Coalition’s Access & Resource Specialist Catherine Ramirez Mejia, MPP
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My youngest sister is returning to school this week to begin her senior year. It feels like yesterday she was beginning kindergarten. There’s a trend where seniors wear a backpack with the cartoon character from their childhood. She was trying to decide between a My Little Pony, Dora the Explorer,...

09/01/2026

“He felt like he was treated like an animal,” his father, Pierres Ronal Bel, 40, recounted in a handwritten statement.

20 year old Pierre Damas Bel was amongst the estimated 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who recently lost Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and had an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.

“I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn’t come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone,” he wrote on Instagram in late July. “Yet now I’m walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience.”

Pierre Damas Bel’s family said he took his own life on a busy highway after the Trump administration canceled protections for thousands of Haitian immigrants and ICE officers placed him in an ankle monitor.

09/01/2026

📣 Upcoming Webinar
Back to School: Know Your Rights for K-12 Schools & Educators
📆 Monday, September 28 @ 03:30 PM

The presentation covers basic Know Your Rights information and reviews existing guidance to K-12 schools issued by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the protections offered under the PROTECT Act, and reviews best practices with regard to data sharing, responding to ICE presence or requests for information, and navigating conversations with immigrant students and their families.

Register for FREE ➡️ www.miracoalition.org/know-your-rights-trainings

08/31/2026

Back to school supplies! See the flyers for more information about school supply drives hosted by METCO, Boston Public Schools, MA Haitian Parents, and Chica Project!

08/31/2026

On behalf of the entire MIRA Coalition community, we are thrilled to share our FY25 Annual Report with you. This report celebrates the incredible accomplishments we’ve achieved together—through your financial support, our community partnerships, and collective advocacy.

Read the full report ➡️ www.miracoalition.org/miras-annual-report-fiscal-year-2025/

08/29/2026

MIRA is Hiring! Business & Community Organizer More details and how to apply : bit.ly/WorkatMIRA

08/29/2026

Check out MIRA’s new resource for students and those who work with students! The Youth Toolkit includes:
Know Your Rights resources
mental health resources
immigration terminology
how to get involved as an immigrant advocate
financial aid information for immigrant students
Spanish and English versions are available for download here: bit.ly/MIRAyouthtoolkit
Back To School KYR webinar Sep 28: bit.ly/KYRTrainingsMIRA
MIRA Coalition Back to School blog post: bit.ly/MIRABackToSchool26

08/29/2026

Maverick Valley Project held a community forum in Haverhill in preparation for the Town Hall in Lawrence. Members voted to prioritize immigration and housing as their advocacy priorities for the next legislative session. Great turnout! @

08/28/2026

Join us Sunday 8/30 to celebrate Uruguay culture and people!
🗓️ Sun 8/30
⏰ 11am-7pm
📍Saima Park Fitchburg MA

08/26/2026

The PROTECT Act was signed into law on August 5, 2026. It strengthens protections for Massachusetts residents by limiting state and local participation in federal civil immigration enforcement and creating new safeguards in schools, child care facilities, health care settings, courthouses, and other state and local institutions. Learn more on our website, and download the community explainers in multiple languages: https://bit.ly/PROTECTActMIRA