Zuckerberg Cuts Ties With Pro-Immigration Group He Founded

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's nonprofit has cut ties with a pro-immigration organization he founded more than a decade ago.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is no longer funding FWD.us, a policy organization that describes itself as "working to advance better and more politically resilient solutions on criminal justice and immigration."

The move comes amid Zuckerberg's shift away from political advocacy under a second Trump presidency.

A tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service shows FWD.us removed CZI from its internal bylaws.

A spokesperson for CZI said the nonprofit is shifting its focus to science and biomedical research.

FWD.us President Todd Schulte in a statement said the organization was "thankful to our donors, past and present, and so grateful to the many new donors who have stepped up in the past few years — and particularly the influx of new supporters we have seen this year.

"This allows us to fight for immigrants under attack today and to build a better approach to immigration and criminal justice reform for many, many years to come."

For over a decade, Zuckerberg publicly and consistently supported the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily shields from deportation young people who were brought to the U.S. as children without legal immigration status.

DACA protection has been one of the core priorities of FWD.us.

When the Trump administration sought to end the program, Zuckerberg condemned the move, aligned Meta with other tech companies in defending recipients, and framed the issue as a moral obligation and an economic imperative.

Since Trump took office in January, Meta has dismantled key diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and roles, echoing a broader rollback of DEI initiatives across Zuckerberg's businesses.

Some civil rights groups exited advisory roles in protest after these policy shifts, saying Meta didn't consult them.

Zuckerberg and Meta also made overtures toward the Trump administration and conservative circles, including the CEO meeting with Trump administration officials and showing openness to Trump's criticism of perceived "censorship" by Big Tech.

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