The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center has had to lay off employees and scale back several of its programs across all five of its offices, including the Ypsilanti location, due to cuts in federal funding.
The Trump administration has cut funding for the Unaccompanied Children’s Program and the Help Desk at Detroit Immigration Court.
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center Spokesperson Christine Sauve says many groups dependent on these funding sources are in litigation with the federal government. She says the Unaccompanied Children’s Program is a key source of funding for the center, supporting around 800 immigrant children in Michigan.
Although a US District Court in California ordered that funding must remain while litigation continues, the federal government has not complied, resulting in significant layoffs for the center.
“Loss of that funding became unmanageable, and we couldn’t proceed without making such a difficult decision to issue layoffs for 72 staff.”
Suave says, despite having 49 remaining employees across its offices, the center will continue to provide essential legal services for migrants in the local community.
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