Suit Challenges DHS’s Unlawful Shutdown of Congressionally Funded Naturalization Support Program

Washington, DC — A coalition of civil rights and immigration services organizations filed an amended complaint and a motion for preliminary relief today to stop the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful termination of a critical federal grant program that supports lawful permanent residents on their path to U.S. citizenship. The amended complaint in Solutions in Hometown Connections et al. v. Noem et al, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, expands on a previous challenge to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) initial freeze and later total shutdown of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (CIGP) and seeks to hold the administration accountable for violating the law and harming immigrant communities across the country.

As part of the amended complaint, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) joins plaintiffs Solutions in Hometown Connections, Central American Resource Center, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Community Center for Immigrants Incorporated, English Skills Learning Center, Michigan Organizing Project d/b/a Michigan United, HIAS Pennsylvania, Instituto del Progreso Latino, and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.

Democracy Forward, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF represent plaintiffs. 

The filings outline how DHS, under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, dismantled the entire grant program—without lawful justification—just days after plaintiffs filed a motion seeking emergency relief from the initial funding freeze. DHS’s decision has cut off lawfully awarded, congressionally funded grants to organizations that offer English-language instruction, legal services, and naturalization assistance to thousands of immigrants.

“This administration is unlawfully refusing to spend funds that Congress specifically allocated to help people become U.S. citizens,” said Robin Thurston, Democracy Forward Legal Director. “These abrupt and politically motivated actions violate the Constitution, the separation of powers, and our clients’ rights. We’re in court to stop this overreach and restore essential support for immigrant communities.”

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit—including nonprofit organizations in Maryland, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, and other states—have already suffered deep harms due to the freeze and termination of the program. Many have been forced to lay off staff, cancel citizenship classes, and pause legal representation for hundreds of clients who are in the middle of the naturalization process.

“At its core, America is strengthened by its commitment to birthright citizenship and the integration of new Americans,” said Niyati Shah, Director of Litigation, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. “This administration’s attack on vital citizenship support programs not only undermines the rule of law but actively obstructs the pathway for lawful residents to fully contribute to our communities and our democracy. We stand firm in our belief that investing in citizenship is investing in the future of our nation.”

“LatinoJustice is continuing to fight to preserve federal funding for vital naturalization programs that help legal permanent residents become U.S. citizens”, said Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “The administration’s unlawful termination of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program adversely impacts the many community-based organizations throughout the country that provide citizenship classes and instruction. We demand the reinstatement of the federal funding to ensure the support our communities deserve.”

The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program has operated since 2009 and has helped more than 350,000 lawful permanent residents prepare for citizenship. Congress funded the program through appropriations in 2023 and 2024. This administration’s attempt to dismantle it—after the funds were obligated and with no lawful basis—represents a clear violation of federal law, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Constitution’s separation of powers.

Read the amended complaint here and the motion for preliminary injunction here.

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