Every morning, shortly after dropping her kids off at school, Alma Cothias makes her way to the Massa Viana Law office. Her routine includes a fresh cup of coffee, some upbeat electronic dance music, and tackling a few administrative tasks before diving into her day. With 32 clients under her care, Cothias anticipates her workload to expand.
“All my clients are in removal proceedings,” she mentioned, noting the busy schedule ahead with weekly immigration court hearings lined up in May.
Cothias is part of a team of 24 attorneys offering complimentary legal services to immigrants, courtesy of a newly instituted $5 million initiative by the Massachusetts state government.
The Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI), established at the close of 2025, aims to guarantee that immigrants within the state receive legal representation during their removal processes. The program emerged as a response to the federal government’s vast deportation efforts, which saw the detention of over 390,000 immigrants in its inaugural year.
“We know that there is so much need for legal services for immigrants right now,” stated Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), the nonprofit managing the program. “For so many immigrants going into immigration court right now, the stakes feel incredibly high.”
Currently, immigration proceedings are deemed civil matters, not criminal. This distinction means individuals in removal proceedings have the right to an attorney, but not at the government’s expense.
“It’s hard enough when you do have an attorney,” noted Robin Nice, an immigration attorney who represented Yury Melissa Aguiriano Romero after her detention last year. “It’s extraordinarily hard when you don’t.”
In response, the Massachusetts Legislature last summer initiated the program after federal authorities detained 7,000 Massachusetts immigrants, leading to numerous deportations.
MIRA entered into a contract with the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants in November, valued at $4.2 million, to oversee the initiative. The first set of lawyers began their roles in December.
Governor Maura Healey’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget seeks to maintain the program’s $5 million funding. Additionally, Senate President Karen Spilka aims to increase this allocation by $1 million, raising it to $6 million. MIRA has ambitions for a $15 million allocation in the next fiscal year.
“Programs are at capacity right now, with demand outstripping capacity,” MIRA stated.
Lawyer Shortage
The scarcity of legal representation for immigrants during removal proceedings is evident. As of February, Massachusetts had 126,724 pending removal cases, with just under 52% of individuals having legal representation, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse Immigration. In New Bedford alone, 59% of the 2,271 active cases had representation.
“We would think it’s a really bad idea for someone to defend themselves in a murder trial,” Nice explained. “Their lives are on the line and yet we’re asking them to represent themselves and navigate a complex legal system.”
Massachusetts faces a shortage of immigration lawyers. The American Immigration Lawyers Association directory lists only 114 practicing immigration attorneys in the state, though this does not represent a comprehensive count.
Addressing this deficit is a priority for the state program, as officials discussed during a recent hearing at the Mattapan Public Library.
“We are extremely under-resourced in immigration attorneys,” stated Susan Church, chief operating officer at the state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants. “That led to a decision to have attorneys from out of state work in the program.”
Efforts are also being made to train attorneys from other legal fields to handle immigration cases.
Immigrants with potential cases can reach out via the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative hotline (508-505-4588). MACI staff assess eligibility based on income and other criteria.
Church revealed that since December, the hotline received 6,000 inquiries, with 697 meeting the eligibility criteria for services. However, only 461 were assigned attorneys.
“We knew at the outset of this program that the need would far exceed the resources,” Church commented. “We knew that at some point in time there would be a waitlist.”
‘From as far away as Springfield’
Recent records obtained by The Light provide insight into MACI’s operations. The program is divided into two main systems: the Massachusetts Center for Immigrant Representation, which focuses on federal immigration detainees, and a network service partnering with 14 organizations across the state to place attorneys on-site.
Currently, the MACI program operates intake systems at two detention facilities: Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts and Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. Additionally, in New Bedford, the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts and the Immigrants’ Assistance Center hold MACI contracts, each receiving $130,000 in reimbursements.
Several private law firms, including the one where Cothias works, are also involved. António Massa Viana, managing attorney at the firm, emphasized the importance of the program. “We are now able to offer, to people who have not been able to afford legal representation before, quality legal representation in immigration courts,” he said. “The ultimate vision is that people in (immigration court) should be represented as opposed to walking in without knowing what their rights are.”
Cothias currently manages 32 clients, aligning with the program’s goal of 30 to 35 clients per attorney. To qualify for MACI services, applicants must meet specific income criteria and be involved in certain immigration processes.
“At the beginning, we were getting people from at most a half-hour away,” Cothias explained. “But recently, I have been getting clients from as far away as Springfield, and their hearing is in Connecticut.”
‘A Political Instrument’
Cothias remarked on the tangible impact of her work. “The clients really don’t know what they can do for themselves,” she observed. “They’re very thankful to have someone fighting for them.”
Nice highlighted the challenges faced by those in immigration courts, pointing out that both judges and prosecutors report to the U.S. Attorney General, creating an imbalance. “This is a political instrument, so to readers who may be thinking everyone has a fair shot, they don’t,” she continued. “It’s not one against one, it’s two against one.”
Nice underscored the critical nature of legal aid. “It’s an absolute bare minimum requirement to have an attorney,” she concluded. “There’s no fair shot unless they have one.”
___
This story was originally published by The New Bedford Light and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
