Overview
- City materials show Immigrants Lead Boston is a 10-week political-organizing training run by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement that meets city officials and aims to develop 'emerging leaders.'
- The program requires participants to be Boston residents and immigrants and states it will consider applicants 'regardless of their immigration status.'
- Participants who complete the course are eligible for a $575 completion scholarship and the program has run in multiple cohorts since launching in fall 2020.
- Reporting over the weekend and Monday highlighted the eligibility language and scholarship and prompted criticism that city resources are being used to benefit non–U.S.-born residents while native-born Bostonians are excluded.
- Coverage so far has come mainly from right-leaning outlets that emphasize taxpayer funding and immigration status, city officials have been contacted for comment, and the debate raises questions about legal limits and political consequences for Boston's immigrant policies.