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Readers: What are your thoughts on Healey’s state of emergency declaration?
Gov. Maura Healey has asked the federal government to expedite the work authorization process, as well as for financial assistance.
In response to the growing amount of migrants coming to Massachusetts and the state’s ongoing housing crisis, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Tuesday.
According to a Tuesday letter from Healey to Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of Homeland Security, the number of families seeking shelter the number of families seeking shelter has “skyrocketed.” From March 2022 to July 2023, the number of families per day seeking emergency shelter assistance rose from 25 to 100. Additionally, the amount of families in state-funded facilities has increased 80% from last year.
Specifically, Healey has asked Mayorkas to encourage the federal government to expedite the work authorization process, as well as for financial assistance.
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In some cases, it can take over six months for a person to receive approval for a work permit. Many other Massachusetts lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren., Sen. Ed Markey, and Rep. Katherine Clark have also called on the federal government to remove this barrier for migrants.
In an interview with GBH, Healey said the federal government has expedited this process before for specific countries, and that must happen again now.
Other lawmakers such as State Rep. Peter Durant called for Healey to repeal the state’s “right to shelter” law, citing the increased amounts of people coming to Massachusetts seeking shelter.
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The right to shelter law went into effect in 1983 and requires the state to provide housing for “needy families with children and pregnant women with no other children.” Healey has stated she will not repeal the law and that she has no right to do so.
We want to know your thoughts on Healey’s emergency declaration. Do you agree with Healey that the right to shelter law should stay in effect, or do you agree with Durant that it should be repealed? Do you think the work authorization process should be expedited so migrants can legally work in Massachusetts? Fill out the survey below or send an email to [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.
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