Mayor Michelle Wu’s office defended Immigrants Lead Boston after online criticism of the taxpayer-supported civic leadership program, the Boston Herald reported late Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. The city says the course is open to Boston residents with ties to immigrant communities, including U.S. citizens, and that a $575 scholarship is paid only after successful completion.
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What Immigrants Lead Boston Is
According to the City of Boston program page, Immigrants Lead Boston is run by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement in partnership with the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition. The fall 2026 session runs from Sept. 21 to Dec. 5 as a hybrid 10-week course covering civic engagement, navigating city government, public narrative and community organizing. Applicants must be at least 18 and Boston residents; applications for this round are closed.
The Herald reported the program began under former Mayor Marty Walsh in fall 2020. The city page states participants who complete the program receive a $575 scholarship intended to offset the time commitment, not as an application fee or cash benefit up front.
Criticism and the City’s Response
The Herald said backlash intensified after a Saturday Substack report by Natalie Winters framed the program as paying undocumented immigrants to become community organizers. The outlet quoted social media users criticizing the use of city funds and questioning eligibility rules.
Wu spokesperson Marcela Dwork told the Herald: “This program is not limited to non-U.S. citizens, and it is open to any Bostonian with ties to immigrant communities.” Dwork said more than one in four Boston residents was born in another country and that “conflating immigrants with non-citizens ignores a basic fact: many immigrants are U.S. citizens.” The office said the program has helped more than 100 residents—citizen and non-citizen—since 2020 and that Boston “will continue investing in our residents and protecting our community, regardless of inflammatory and misleading claims.”
What the City Page Says About Eligibility
The city’s FAQ says candidates must be Boston residents with ties to immigrant communities, proficient in English, Spanish or Haitian Creole, and able to commit about four hours a week plus training. It states: “All interested applicants are encouraged to apply,” and that only selected participants receive the scholarship after completing the program.
The Herald reported past participants have been trained on topics such as housing security and equitable development, and that some advocated for a state bill allowing driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. For other recent City Hall coverage, see our reports on the Roxbury RAISE grant lawsuit and police detectives contract funding.
Sources
Background: The city’s program page describes eligibility as Boston residents with ties to immigrant communities. Critics, including commentators cited by the Boston Herald and Fox News, argued the program excludes U.S.-born residents. Wu’s office said that characterization was misleading and that the $575 payment recognizes completed coursework. The Washington Examiner reported that most of the program’s roughly 100 participants to date were born outside the U.S. The program is run by the city’s Office of Immigrant Advancement.
Sources
- Boston Herald: Wu faces backlash over immigrant program
- City of Boston: Immigrants Lead Boston
- Mass Daily News: Wu's office responds to coverage
- Fox News: Wu offers scholarships for immigrant civic program
- Washington Examiner: Boston's city-funded civic program participants
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