City attorney: immigrant legal assistance grant uses city funds; Justice Matters is provider

During public comment on a pulled consent item, resident Victoria Peterson asked whether the First Amendment to the FY '26 grant agreement for an immigrant legal assistance program involved federal or state funds, whether $450,000 of the grant had already been spent and whether an additional ~$200,000 was being added, and whether North Carolina Central University Law School was involved.

Attorney Hernandez from the City Attorney’s Office responded that the dollars are city funds carried forward from FY25 into FY26 and that, to his knowledge, the funds have not yet been spent. He said the program uses the nonprofit Justice Matters as the provider and that he did not believe the law school was involved. Hernandez described the program as immigrant legal defense and assistance for people in removal proceedings.

Council thanked staff for the clarification. No formal action was taken beyond the informational exchange during the consent-item discussion; staff retained responsibility to provide further detail if council wants additional line‑item reporting on the grant’s use.