As Immigrant Communities Face Intense Pressure, Is Philanthropy Ready?

Eight years ago, at the dawn of President Donald Trump’s first administration, airports were flooded by public demonstrations protesting an executive order banning travel from a number of majority Muslim countries. This time, as Trump’s second administration begins, an explicit travel ban is missing. But not for long.

Hidden in the avalanche of orders and actions was a day-one executive order (Executive Order 14161) that lays the groundwork for yet another nightmare Muslim and African ban—a policy that would be deeply unpopular among voters, according to a January Harvard/CAPS Harris poll.

In the order, Trump has given his administration until March 21 to identify a list of countries whose citizens will be banned or experience extreme vetting to enter the United States. The deadline is fast approaching, and communities across the country are bracing for the impact.

Threatening Immigrants and Restricting Free Speech

By ostensibly “looking into the matter” over two months, the administration has avoided scenes of travelers detained at airports that galvanized thousands eight years ago. However, the administration has only delayed inevitable chaos and uncertainty.

Trump has given his administration until March 21 to identify a list of countries whose citizens will be banned or experience extreme vetting.

The order, after all, is even broader and more dangerous than before. It doesn’t just ban certain travelers; it explicitly includes the removal of visa holders—who were lawfully admitted by the Biden administration—if they criticize government policies. It even calls for ramping up denaturalization efforts against certain US citizens.

Nine days after signing this order, Trump made the intent of these provisions even clearer with another executive order (Executive Order 14188) that paves the way for the deportation of international students who participated in constitutionally protected protests against the horrific loss of life and devastation in Gaza. It didn’t take long for the administration to act.

Last week, immigration officers took Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian human rights activist, from his home in an effort to deport him, even though he is a legal permanent resident. This follows an announcement of an unlawful program called “Catch and Revoke,” in which artificial intelligence will be used to scrape social media accounts of student visa holders so that those who are found to have engaged in or promoted pro-Palestinian human rights activism may face immediate deportation.

‌At their core, these orders are designed to push people of color out—especially those from Black, African, Arab, Middle East, Muslim, and South Asian communities—by labeling them as enemies of the state, and threaten their place in society by punishing them with bans, visa cancellations, denaturalization, and deportation.

Organizing to Confront the New Threats

For far too long, these communities have been the testing ground for unjust and often illegal policies cloaked in national security justifications. While so-called War on Terror policies infamously targeted and discriminated against African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities—at times dividing coalitions and weakening solidarity across movements—they are increasingly coming for us all.

African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian movement groups have pushed back against government scapegoating.

Building on the public’s willingness to ignore abuses when the specter of national security is raised, the Trump administration has at times targeted immigrants through bogus claims of national security threats, but today, these frameworks and justifications are ubiquitous—recalling language, policies, and practices reminiscent of the post-9/11 period.

Recently, the administration declared a “national emergency” to bypass checks and balances while smearing immigration as an “invasion” of our borders. The administration has ordered the migrants to be sent to Guantánamo Bay—the notorious symbol of post-9/11 abuses, dehumanization, and secrecy—and has even brought back a Bush-era relic that forced Muslim immigrant men to register with the government. Now, they are calling for all undocumented migrants to register.

African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian movement groups have pushed back against government scapegoating, thin national security justifications, and resulting harmful policies like the Muslim and African bans, discriminatory watch-listing, and the registry launched after 9/11, which primarily targeted Muslim noncitizens.

It was pressure from these communities and organizations that led members of Congress to reintroduce just weeks ago the NO BAN Act, which would strengthen protections in the immigration system against religious discrimination. And it is these groups who are again on the frontlines of defending immigrants and civil rights today.

For example, the National Iranian American Council’s (NIAC) 2025 Travel Ban Center and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s (ADC) 24/7 Legal Hotline make real-time information and legal support widely accessible.

Muslim Advocates, a civil rights organization which fought Trump’s first Muslim ban in the courts, is poised to put its legal defense muscle to work once again; and the Asian Law Caucus is leading the way as part of the legal team challenging Trump’s order to halt birthright citizenship. No Muslim Ban Ever is a national campaign that brings these legal organizations together with MPower and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-San Francisco Bay Area helps protect impacted communities by spearheading advocacy efforts.

Groups like the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) and Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) are organizing at the grassroots level so their communities are better prepared to defend their rights, while others like Muslims for Just Futures are coordinating the field through organizing calls, research, resource sharing and other supports.

What Can Philanthropy Do?

African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian movement organizations labor under enormous political, legal, and financial pressures. Foundations can respond and support them by taking the following steps:

• Ensure these movements are meaningfully funded and at the table. An internal RISE Together Fund study we conducted found that for every $100 spent by social justice philanthropy, only about $1 is being spent on organizations serving African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities. Coupled with the fact that the immigrant justice movement is vastly underfunded, these organizations are often left reeling from long-term chronic underfunding and boom-or-bust funding cycles. These are diverse communities with diverse needs and policy goals. By funding African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian groups meaningfully and across all foundation program areas—ideally with flexible, multiyear grants—these groups are better positioned to address the many threats they face.
• At minimum, do no harm. This means standing by existing grantees and advocating for increased funding across the sector. Over the past year, many US African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian organizations have been engaged in deeply challenging advocacy efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. This work has led to an unprecedented level of attacks. US-based organizations working on Palestinian human rights have weathered a storm of congressional inquiries, politically motivated lawsuits known as SLAPP suits, doxxing, and investigations by state attorneys general. Congress even fast-tracked HR 9495 last fall—a law that would have given the US Treasury Department sweeping powers to revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization it arbitrarily chooses to label as “terror supporting.”Funders can avoid perpetuating harm by proactively educating their boards and donors about the important work these organizations are doing and the threat environment they face; and by speaking out against efforts to defund, deplatform, and otherwise punish grantees for their speech and advocacy in support of Palestinian human rights, especially given the dangerous precedent this sets for all nonprofits.
• Support infrastructure for long-term sustainability.Given the opportunities and threats inherent in the current political landscape, it’s critical that funders support African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian groups to strengthen their operational resilience, safety, and security. In addition, foundations must make deep investments in their legal infrastructure and capacity for impact litigation; support their protective and proactive advocacy and organizing strategies at the local level; and break down silos by resourcing convening and coordination efforts essential to working within and across movements.

The Road Ahead

Everyone can remember the turmoil, scandals, and cruelty during Trump’s first term. But we should also recall the resolve and the countless ways movements came together and successfully challenged the new state of play. Hundreds of legal actions were filed. There was progress in state legislatures and at the ballot box. Many of these same necessary and bold actions are already unfolding across the country.

But it is no secret that democratic institutions in the United States (and elsewhere) are under strain and in decline—the United States was removed from the Global Democracy Index of “full democracies” in 2016.

Philanthropy is being called and tested. In order to meet the moment, foundations must fuel movements—and that most certainly includes supporting African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian-led movements and organizations.

In short, for those who profess to support the building of a just and multiracial democracy, there remains much work to do.