Funding Freeze Threatens Immigrant Support Services, Leaving Hundreds in Limbo

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles (CHIRLA) is among several organizations dedicated to assisting lawful permanent residents in obtaining U.S. citizenship.

However, those essential services were put at risk last month when CHIRLA received a notification from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that their congressionally approved funding had been suspended.

This funding freeze disrupted programs that provide civics instruction, English language classes, and citizenship interview preparation for immigrants. More than a hundred organizations have faced similar interruptions, with no indication of when the funding might be restored.

“It’s not fair,” said Karla Aguayo, CHIRLA’s director of legal services, in an interview with NBC News on Friday.

The notification arrived via email on February 4 and contained no more than five sentences. It stated: “Effective immediately, your grant from USCIS is frozen in accordance with the pause in activities,” generally referencing a January 28 memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but providing no further details. The email continued: “Payments are not available at this time. We recognize this will have an impact on your organization. We are unable to provide a timeline on this freeze.”

Since receiving that email, CHIRLA has not had any further communication from USCIS, according to Aguayo.

On Friday, 35 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to USCIS Acting Director Kika Scott and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanding answers about the funding freeze.

“There has been no indication, evidence or even outright allegation that grantees have failed to meet their commitments or contractual obligations in good faith — raising serious concerns over the justification for disrupting their ability to provide crucial services,” the letter, obtained first by NBC News, stated.

Lawmakers warned that if the USCIS funding is not reinstated, it will erase progress made in reducing the backlog of naturalization applications in recent years. The letter, led by Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., whose parents emigrated from Mexico, also cautioned that an increase in backlogs could significantly extend the time required to process citizenship applications.

When asked about the issue, USCIS responded via email, saying the agency had “nothing further to add on this matter” beyond what was outlined in the memo. The memo cited “concerns that these grants may not be an efficient use of government resources” as the rationale behind the freeze. DHS has not responded to requests for comment.

As a grantee of the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program, CHIRLA had been set to receive $450,000 in federal funding from USCIS from October 2023 through September 2024. The funding was intended to support hundreds of green card holders on their path to citizenship.

“We want to create as many citizens as we can,” Aguayo emphasized.

With the funding on hold, CHIRLA is now scrambling to secure alternative financial resources to continue assisting immigrants with their citizenship applications. “We’re not waiting because it’s already been over a month, and we haven’t heard anything” from USCIS, Aguayo stated.

She stressed that the organization could not suddenly abandon its students due to the funding freeze. “We can’t now abruptly pass on this inconvenience to the students. We can’t just say, ‘Oh, sorry, no more funding. Today is the last day of class,’” she said.

The lawmakers’ letter defended the grant program, arguing that it has enhanced efficiency by “equipping eligible applicants with the tools to navigate the naturalization process more effectively — saving USCIS valuable time and resources otherwise spent resolving errors, issuing requests for evidence, or reprocessing applications.”

For lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders, who were hoping to become U.S. citizens this year, the situation may feel discouraging, Aguayo acknowledged.

Despite the uncertainty, she encouraged eligible immigrants to proceed with their applications. “We always encourage people to apply despite the circumstances,” she said.