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Immigrant Services

Learn more about the rights afforded to immigrants under Massachusetts state law and resources available to immigrant communities.

Civil Rights

Massachusetts laws protect you against hateful or discriminatory treatment regardless of immigration status, or whether you are a long-time resident of Massachusetts or just recently arrived. This section outlines some of your civil rights under Massachusetts laws.

The Massachusetts Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for a person to interfere with your rights through threats, intimidation, or force. For example, this law prohibits someone from:

  • Assaulting you because of your race or immigration status.
  • Interfering with your rights while using racist or anti-immigrant threats or intimidation.
  • Trying to prevent you or your family from using public parks, walking on public streets, attending school, or living peacefully in your home.

Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws protect residents and visitors from discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, and places that offer goods or services to the general public.

Discrimination can take many forms. Generally, Massachusetts laws make it illegal to treat someone or a group of people differently and unfavorably because of characteristics like race, national origin, skin color, physical or mental disability, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity in housing, the workplace, or public spaces.

Examples of discrimination could include:

  • A landlord refuses to rent to you because you are not a citizen or because you have children.
  • Your landlord charges you a higher rent because of your race.
  • A real estate agent discourages you from applying for apartments in a certain neighborhood because of your national origin.
  • Your employer pays you less than your coworkers because of your immigration status.
  • Your employer harasses you, insults you, and makes you feel unwelcome at work based on your immigration status.
  • Your employer threatens to deport you to force you to meet their demands or because you spoke up about your workplace rights.
  • A bus driver tells you to move to the back of the bus because you are speaking in a language other than English.

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Workers' Rights

All people are protected by Massachusetts’ labor and employment laws. 

As a worker, you have the following rights:

  • The right to be paid a legal rate of pay, in full and on time, including
    • Minimum Wage
    • Overtime
    • Prevailing wage on public works projects
  • The right to be free from sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in the workplace
  • The right to a safe and healthy workplace for all workers, including minors
  • The right to protections under the Child Labor laws
  • The right to organize
  • The right to be classified properly as an employee

Workers who do not have federal work authorization are particularly susceptible to exploitive employment practices. The Fair Labor Division will continue to take appropriate enforcement action on behalf of all workers in Massachusetts. If you have any questions or need further assistance, you may contact the Fair Labor Division’s hotline using the link below.

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Education Rights

Under Massachusetts law, schools must provide equal access to education for all students from elementary school through to high school, regardless of immigration status. 

This means:

  • Children have a right to enroll in school and to an education that is free from illegal discrimination and harassment 
  • Unhoused children-including children who live in emergency shelters, hotels, and motels-also have a right to equal access to education and to immediately enroll in school. 
    • If a school district denies school enrollment to an unhoused child, it must provide the child’s parent or guardian with a written explanation. The parent or guardian has the right to appeal the denial, and the child has the right to immediately enroll in school while the appeal is being decided. 
  • A parent or guardian can immediately enroll their child in a school even when they lack documents that are typically required for enrollment, like a birth certificate.

Equal access to public education means not only the right to enroll in school, but also the right to an education free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. The state and federal laws securing these rights include the following:

  • The Massachusetts Student Anti-Discrimination Act provides that no person may be excluded from a public school in any town, or discriminated against with respect to obtaining the advantages, privileges, and courses of study of such public schools, on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, disability, or sexual orientation.
  •  The Massachusetts Anti-Bullying Law prohibits, among other things, bullying by students or school staff on school grounds or at school activities. 
  •  Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin by public elementary and secondary schools. 
  •  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  •  The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 requires, among other things, that schools provide English Language Learners with appropriate services to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation in instructional programs. 

It is critical that school districts and officials in the Commonwealth ensure that all children have equal access to public education by:

  • Allowing children to promptly enroll and attend school regardless of race, national origin, immigration status, or citizenship status
  • Avoiding information requests that have the purpose or effect of discouraging or denying access to school on the basis of race, national origin, immigration status, or citizenship status
  • Protecting all students from bullying and harassment on the basis of race, national origin, immigration status, or citizenship status.

In order to help make it as easy as possible to enroll your child in school, here are the following resources:

  • Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth, U.S. Department of Education (October 2015), available here.
  • Welcoming Newcomer and Refugee Students & Families, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (March 8, 2022), available here.
  • Immigrant Students’ Right to Attend School, A Guide for Families (February 2025), available here.

Additional Resources:

Avoiding Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law (UPIL)

The unauthorized practice of immigration law is a widespread problem. Too often, dishonest individuals falsely hold themselves out as attorneys and charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for preparing forms or providing advice and services they are not qualified or authorized to perform.

The Attorney General’s Office urges all Massachusetts residents to take the following precautionary steps before hiring someone to provide legal advice or representation in connection with immigration or other matters:

  1. Verify the individual is a licensed attorney in good standing

     

    Before you hire a lawyer to represent you, confirm that he or she is actually an attorney and that he or she is in good standing. All attorneys who are licensed to practice law in Massachusetts must be registered with the Board of Bar Overseers. To find out if an individual is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and is in good standing, you can call the Board of Bar Overseers at 617-728-8800 or visit its website at https://www.massbbo.org/s/

     

  2. OR, verify that the individual is an “Accredited Representative”

     

    A small number of non-lawyers that are registered Accredited Representatives are permitted to represent clients in connection with immigration matters. To find out if an individual or organization is an Accredited Representative, review the Department of Justice’s Accredited Representatives Roster at https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/942311/dl?inline=

     

  3. Understand the different roles of Attorneys, Accredited Representatives, and “Preparers & Interpreters”

     

    LICENSED ATTORNEYS. Generally speaking, only licensed attorneys may represent parties in court and give legal advice. In fact, under certain circumstances, practicing law without a license is crime. It is important to understand that the fact that someone is a Notary or Notary Public does not mean that he or she is an attorney. In many other countries, the word “notario” means that the individual is an attorney or can perform legal tasks, but that is not true in the United States.

     

    Only licensed attorneys can:

    – Advise clients as to whether or not they qualify for legal programs, or if they should apply for benefits or protections.
    – Advise clients as to which government forms or applications they should file.
    – Advise clients as to their legal risks or potential liabilities.
    – Explain legal options.
    – Advise clients on legal claims against another person or entity.
    – Represent clients in court or before administrative judges.
    – Negotiate settlements or compromises involving legal claims.

     

    If you believe that you have been misled by someone pretending to be an attorney or Accredited Representative, or if you need additional information, please call the Office of the Attorney General at 617-963-2917.

     

    You may also contact the Massachusetts Bar Association at (617) 654-0400, if you would like a referral to an attorney.

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