1,000+ Massachusetts migrants attend clinic to get to work and out of emergency shelters
More than 1,000 “work-eligible” migrants staying in emergency shelters attended a workshop this week to fast-track processing times for work authorizations, something state officials have argued will help shift families out of temporary housing and into permanent solutions.
Both the Healey administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ran the workshop in Middlesex County and plan to hold the clinic again during the week of Nov. 27, according to state officials.
“Work authorization is key to helping new arrivals get jobs that will help them support their families, move out of emergency shelter into more stable housing options, and fill critical workforce needs across our economy. We’re proud that the first week of this clinic has proven to be such a success, with more than 1,000 people served,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
Healey spent months calling on the Biden administration to speed up the time it takes to process migrant work authorizations, arguing months-long waiting periods are one key reason state shelters are backed up with thousands of families.
White House Senior Advisory Tom Perez said the Biden administration will continue to support more migrants submitting work permit applications in the coming weeks.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting local jurisdictions hosting recently arrived migrants and we will continue working with our partners in Massachusetts in the coming weeks and months. Last month, President Biden submitted supplemental funding requests to Congress which address a series of national priorities, including grant funding for jurisdictions hosting migrants and funding for accelerating the processing of work permits for eligible migrants,” Perez said in a statement.
Department of Homeland Security officials visited Massachusetts last month to take stock of the situation. Federal agents discussed with Mayor Michelle Wu the idea of holding a week-long work permit processing workshop where the feds could offer in-person help, the Herald first reported.
The Healey administration said the clinic held this week also saw more than 500 adults and children receive seasonal vaccinations. Attendees also received access to MassHire and assistance enrolling in daycare.
“Not only are these new arrivals to Massachusetts eager to be able to work as part of building full lives in our state, but our employers and communities need their time and talent,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh said in a statement.
Services at the clinic this week and the one the week of Nov. 27 are available to “pre-identified” migrants staying in emergency family shelters and are potentially eligible for or in the process of employment authorizations, the Healey administration said.
“The state will again organize appointments and provide transportation to and from shelter sites and the clinic,” the administration said in a statement.
