Name and Role with the Organization:
Sarah Schoettle, Managing Attorney
Brief Overview of Your Organization and What You Do:
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) is a legal resource center for low-income immigrants in Michigan. We have five offices across the state, including in Grand Rapids. We provide immigration legal services to noncitizens – including unaccompanied children, victims of crime and domestic violence, and farmworkers. We assist individuals with a variety of immigration legal service needs, from applying for naturalization or asylum, to navigating detention and removal. We have provided legal services to all unaccompanied children in federal custody in Michigan and we are the sole legal service provider answering calls from detention in Michigan. We also advocate to change unjust policies and provide training and education to the community.
How the Recent and Proposed Executive Orders Have Impacted Those You Support:
MIRC and the clients we serve have been enormously impacted by recent executive orders. Since January 20, 2025, there have been more than 250 federal policy changes affecting immigrants. For context, under the first Trump administration there were about 475 over the course of four years. The blistering pace of changes targeting immigrant communities has been challenging for both service providers and community members. The initial executive orders and subsequent policy changes have resulted in increased immigration enforcement aimed at cruelly uprooting our immigrant friends and neighbors, with enforcement now allowed to take place at schools, health clinics, places of worship, and other sensitive locations.
One of the executive orders directed federal agencies to review and terminate funding for nonprofits serving immigrants. As a result, MIRC has suffered the loss of federal funding for two key programs. On Friday, March 21, 2025, the Trump administration terminated the contract for MIRC and legal service providers nationwide for the Unaccompanied Children Program. Similarly, on Thursday, April 10, 2025, the administration ended funding for the Immigration Court Helpdesk program that MIRC operates in the Detroit immigration court. Litigation is pending in both programs.
In Kent County, these changes have had devastating effects on families. Immigrants must now balance whether they can walk their kids to school, while survivors of domestic violence question whether they can call the police for help without being placed in detention. Parents have seen their lawfully-issued work authorization revoked for no reason, leaving them wondering how to care for their children when they lose their job. Unaccompanied children barely old enough to sit still have had to appear in immigration court without a lawyer by their side. We cannot prosper as a community by forcing families to live in fear and want. By striking at our immigrant neighbors, these policies harm our whole community.
The Stakes: What We Stand to Lose:
The Unaccompanied Children Program contract provided $12 million annually for critical legal services for children. Most of the funding was dedicated to ensuring that more than 800 children in Michigan had attorneys by their side during proceedings in immigration court. Without government-funded attorneys, children must face their immigration cases alone, even though we know immigration judges are almost 100 times less likely to grant relief to unaccompanied children without counsel than children with counsel. Legal services are unaccompanied children’s only hope for a fair process in the complex, adversarial U.S. immigration system.
The Helpdesk grant provided $400,000 annually for MIRC staff to help individuals navigate immigration court and the legal options and resources available to them. MIRC will try to continue these services outside of the immigration court as best we can.
At a time when the Trump administration is accelerating removal proceedings – using a so-called “rocket docket” – to push both children and adults through our nation’s deportation system at an alarming rate, the loss of these federally funded programs deprives individuals of due process and information about protections they may be eligible for.
Story of Impact:
MIRC’s unaccompanied children’s program has been incredibly resourceful and successful. Since 2017, MIRC has entered representation for 1,697 children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years, provided 5,686 Know Your Rights sessions, conducted 4,061 legal screenings, and identified 6,158 potential pathways for relief for our young clients. These numbers result in real, meaningful changes in the lives of children and families, children who grow up to thrive and be part of our communities.
- MIRC helped two young Afghan twins reunite with their family following the fall of the Afghan government.
- MIRC represented a 12-year-old boy who escaped Central America after his father was imprisoned and tortured for voicing opposition to the government. The child now has a green card, is doing well in school, is a star on his sports team, and wants to join the Marines.
- MIRC represented a young girl who fled West Africa after extreme abuse by her family. Her resistance to a forced marriage led to abuse so severe that it caused a broken back. Since coming to the U.S., she has applied for a special immigrant juvenile visa and asylum, and dreams of becoming a pharmacist.
- In addition to direct legal assistance, certain cases have also set precedent. For example, MIRC secured relief for a child who had been forced to work and whipped when he could not do so by his family in Central America. After arguing in the Michigan Court of Appeals, MIRC was able to build precedent that will help other abused children
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Since 2021, MIRC’s Helpdesk team helped over 10,000 people better understand their removal cases through individual and group orientations. This represents close to half of all unrepresented people in removal proceedings at the Detroit Immigration Court. This has included over a thousand asylum applications, work authorization applications, and other filings.
- MIRC’s Helpdesk staff have provided clear legal information to multiple individuals on how to present a case, without counsel, in the Detroit Immigration Court based on persecution they would experience in the home country. These noncitizens won their claims and are now able to build their lives in safety here in the United States.
- On one occasion, a family in west Michigan missed their immigration court hearing and were ordered removed in absentia because they, unfortunately, suffered a fire in their apartment building the night before and couldn’t get to court in the morning. Almost all of their belongings were destroyed. MIRC’s Helpdesk staff provided a virtual orientation on filing a motion to reopen their removal order, which is the legal filing to request the court to undo the removal order. This was granted and the family was able to pursue their claim for protection in the court. Without MIRC, they would have been ordered deported after literally losing everything.
How is MIRC Responding?
- In response to questions from the community about increased immigration enforcement, MIRC has provided presentations and is sharing Know Your Rights materials to provide accurate, up to date information. Despite the government’s policies, everyone in the United States has rights when interacting with law enforcement.
- MIRC continues to support hundreds of clients applying for immigration status and provides legal information and advice to individuals calling from Michigan’s immigration detention centers.
- Due to the loss of our federal funding, unfortunately MIRC was forced to provide lay off notices to 72 staff located in offices across the state. At this time, we are not withdrawing representation from our more than 800 current children’s cases. However, we are unable to accept new children’s cases for the foreseeable future without additional resources. MIRC will continue to operate with 49 staff in our five offices, and will continue to consider new cases for representation in our other funded programs.
- MIRC continues our advocacy efforts aimed at changing unjust policies at the federal, state, and local levels.
How Can the Community Help You in These Efforts?
- Contact members of Congress and tell them to restore access to life-saving legal services: ly/mirc-congress
- Learn more about MIRC and the Unaccompanied Children Program
- Share information with your network
- Host a fundraiser or make a financial contribution: ly/mirc-donate Every dollar raised helps us continue our services for children and other impacted individuals.
Is There Anything Else You’d Like to Lift-Up About This Work?
At MIRC, we know that we all thrive when immigrant communities are welcomed. This is a challenging time for immigrant communities and our work is needed more than ever as the scope of immigration enforcement is continually widened and due process – the opportunity to access legal services and have one’s case heard in court – is continually curtailed. We couldn’t do our work without our passionate and talented team, and the support of community partners.
