After weeks of careful coordination with the federal government, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey held crucial meetings with officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the ongoing migrant crisis in the state. The discussions revolved around the dire situation Massachusetts is currently facing and the urgent need for federal support.
A spokesperson for the Healey administration conveyed their appreciation for the opportunity to present the complexities of the migrant crisis to DHS officials and to engage in discussions about the essential assistance required. Emphasizing the critical role of federal funding, the spokesperson highlighted the importance of Congressional action on President Joe Biden’s $4 billion supplemental request, which would allocate funds to cities and states. Advocacy for additional funding and improvements to the work authorization process were also at the forefront of the discussions.
The growing influx of new arrivals, many of whom hail from Haiti, has strained Massachusetts’ shelter system, leading to a state of emergency. Governor Healey has consistently called on President Biden to provide federal funds to the commonwealth and expedite work authorization processes for these new arrivals.
As of Tuesday, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities reported that there were 6,877 families within the emergency family shelter system, with approximately half of them estimated to be new arrivals.
While Governor Healey has previously met with DHS officials, this site visit marked a significant step in addressing the crisis, according to a spokesperson for her administration.
In August, Massachusetts received nearly $2 million in federal grants to expand shelter services and transportation for newly arrived families. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in a letter to Governor Healey, acknowledged the urgent need for Congressional action to address the long-standing challenges of a broken immigration system.
The letter detailed specific measures taken by the DHS to expedite work authorization for migrants, including shrinking processing times for employment authorization documents and delivering over 1 million messages via text and email to migrants, encouraging them to apply for work authorization. Additionally, the department granted temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants in late September, enabling their entry into the workforce.
The DHS expressed its commitment to offering guidance to cities dealing with the integration of eligible noncitizens into the American workforce and managing the nation’s immigration system in a safe, orderly, and humane manner until Congressional action is taken to reform it. The site visit to Boston offered DHS officials a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the city and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, facilitating collaborative efforts to address the migrant crisis.
