Governor Baker Asks Federal Government for Urgent Support for Migrants

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker’s office released a letter sent on Monday to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), asking for “urgent federal government assistance for the resettlement of immigrant families arriving in Massachusetts.”

In the letter, Gov. Baker cited “a total of 4,334 individuals, including over 2,000 Afghan Humanitarian Parolees, 822 Cuban and Haitian Entrants, and 548 refugees,” served by Massachusetts- based resettlement agencies in fiscal year 2022. He also cited increased demand on the Massachusetts shelter system, saying “The Department of Housing and  Community Development reported 133 immigrant families, consisting of over 400  individuals, entering shelter from July 2022 to present.”

Baker made three requests in the letter:

1. For DHS and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to streamline work authorization, citing wait times between six and twelve months before new arrivals and asylum seekers to obtain authorization to work legally and support themselves.
2. For a reevaluation of the level and scope of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
   services provided to refugee and other ORR-eligible populations. Baker said ORR  has allocated additional assistance for those from Afghanistan and Ukraine, but not others.
3. For an expansion of populations eligible for federal supports. In the letter, Baker says that certain ORR-eligible populations are eligible for a fraction of the benefits available for refugees, and some are left out completely.

Cuban and Haitian Entrants, Amerasians, Asylees, and Certified Victims of Human Trafficking are not eligible for the same funds provided to Afghans and Ukrainians.

“As long as the situation at the southern border remains unchanged, Massachusetts and many other states will struggle to cope with this substantial increase in immigrant families accessing shelter and other services,” Baker said. “I respectfully call on the federal government to do its part in providing urgent assistance.”