What’s New in Psychology?

What Happens to Donations to Nonprofits that Protect Immigrants when Migrants are Threatened?    

Jim Windell

            According to the Migration Policy Institute, during the four years of the first Trump presidency, the administration set an unprecedented pace for executive action on immigration. During Trump’s first term, there were 472 administrative changes that dismantled and reconstructed many elements of the U.S. immigration system.

           One of the results of those changes was that humanitarian protections were severely diminished. In addition, the U.S.-Mexico border became more closed off and immigration enforcement appeared more random. Also, legal immigration became out of reach for many.

           But while this was going on, what was happening with those nonprofit organizations that were trying to look out for immigrants and their rights and which provide legal services for immigrants?

           These questions occurred to University of California Santa Cruz, Associate Professor of Sociology Juan Pedroza and his colleagues Stephanie Potochnick and Robert Santillano. To answer these kinds of questions the trio took a deep-dive analysis of Internal Revenue Service records to find out what the financial contributions were to those nonprofits that were concerned with protections for immigrants. 

           Prior to their research, there had been many reported examples of a backlash effect – sometimes called “rage giving” – across a wide range of nonprofit sectors. Did contributions to these nonprofits experience an increase or a decrease in donations during the Trump administration?

            In their research, Pedroza and his associates found that financial contributions to immigrant-serving legal aid nonprofits were between 4 and 11 percentage points higher during the 2016 election than those to other causes with similar prior trends. And through 2019, the last year of available data, contributions were 8 to 17 percentage points higher. Over the time period from 2016 to 2019, many immigrant-serving legal aid organizations rose to near the 90th percentile for donations among all nonprofits. 

           “The big takeaway is that these organizations became national leaders in donations during the first Trump Administration,” Pedroza says. “This shows that the public was responsive and aware of the clear shifts in the immigration climate and took action by boosting capacity among nonprofits that were on the front lines serving immigrants.” 

           Without additional resources, Pedroza points out, there may have been even more limited access to justice in immigrant communities. Instead, Pedroza, Potochnick and Santillano argue in an article published recently in International Migration Review that the observed fundraising prowess of legal aid nonprofits during the Trump Administration shows their adaptability amidst serious challenges. It also demonstrates that the public perceives them as important social helpers in immigrant communities. 

           Public support for these organizations may indeed have helped position them to act as an important safeguard for immigrant communities during the first Trump Administration. However, more research is needed to determine whether or how much the influx of donations helped. 

           “We know access to legal aid can make a difference for people in need,” Pedroza says. “But it’s still an open question whether this increased funding made a difference, in terms of protection of immigrants’ rights.” 

           Another unknown is whether the same trend of increased funding might play out again during Trump’s second term. The incoming Trump Administration is using much of the same anti-immigrant rhetoric that appears to have motivated donors previously. But an initial surge in public support around an issue can be difficult to sustain.

           “As Trump comes back into the White House, we have every indication that we can expect an increased need for legal services for immigrants,” Pedroza says. “But will that be enough to re-energize people to give again to support immigrants’ rights? Only time will tell.”

           To read the original article, find it with this reference:

Pedroza, J., Potochnick, S., & Santillano, R. (2025). The 2016 United States Election and Financial Support to Migrant-Serving Legal-Aid Organizations. International Migration Review, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241309573