A surge of new immigrants in Massachusetts is currently straining the state's emergency shelter system and budget but a new report found they will bring direct economic benefits to the region.
In their first year after arrival, 1,000 immigrants with work permits generate an estimated $24 million in wages, and the number grows to $34 million after five years.
Phineas Baxandall, interim president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, said it means added local spending power and an increase in tax revenues.
"We're seeing real economic contributions," Baxandall pointed out. "Which are really important to keep in mind especially as we confront the kinds of costs and disruptions that we have today."
Baxandall noted new immigrants' economic contributions could increase because Massachusetts offers them the chance to obtain a driver's license and allows undocumented high school graduates access to in-state college tuition.
Thousands of immigrants seeking asylum and other federal protections have arrived in Massachusetts over the past several months alone, and state officials said they are making progress in expediting work permits so people can begin to support themselves. Previous data showed new immigrants often fill immediate shortages in construction, health care, child care and agriculture. Baxandall argued it is good news for a state coping with an aging workforce and declining population.
"There would be a shrinking labor supply if not for foreign immigration," Baxandall emphasized. "For the future, we need immigration at least as much as the immigrants need us."
Baxandall stressed the state should invest more in English as a Second Language, including adult basic education programs, and follow the lead of at least 10 other states, which allow immigrants without Social Security numbers to benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit. He added new immigrants offer Massachusetts an opportunity to make future economic growth happen.
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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held a rally Sunday that his critics say reinforced a hateful tone felt by Puerto Ricans and foreign-born populations.
Those helping new Americans resettle in rural North Dakota hope politics don't interfere.
Trump's position on immigration often focuses on undocumented individuals and the southern border. But while in office, he also placed tighter caps on refugee admissions.
Derrick Gross is the executive director of Communities Acting Together for Change and Hope - CATCH ND - a new nonprofit that assists non-English speakers adapting to rural North Dakota towns after being approved for resettlement.
Despite the national tone, Gross said he sees more positive welcoming examples locally.
"One of the families had a couple of young kids," said Gross. "They didn't have their driver's license yet so they needed a stroller and wagon so they could walk to the store and get groceries and supplies. Neighbors provided those things for them when put out a request on Facebook."
But if a resident in one of these communities is swayed by misinformation on the campaign trail, Gross urges them to learn about key programs while sharing their concerns.
As for the rally, the Trump campaign tried to distance itself from vulgar comments made by speakers who took to the podium ahead of the former president, saying they didn't reflect Trump's views.
This year, a study came out showing that undocumented immigrants paid nearly $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 - even as they are often barred from accessing social service programs.
For his group's part in working with refugees, Gross said it's important to understand they're trying to help rural communities - struggling with population loss - thrive.
"We're not looking to create sanctuary cities," said Gross. "We're looking to create situations where people who are coming here legitimately and legally - who want to be here - have an opportunity to be settled in a welcoming place."
Gross said these are people with a path to citizenship who can take jobs rural businesses are struggling to fill.
He said CATCH ND differs from traditional, larger resettlement efforts by focusing on smaller towns, where making local connections might foster a community-wide response in providing help.
The American Immigration Council says roughly 5% of North Dakota's population was born in another country - more than double the number reported 25 years ago.
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A strong majority of voters across party lines want lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for America's 11 million undocumented immigrants, not mass deportation, according to a new survey.
Jennifer Piper - West Region program director for the American Friends Service Committee - cited a series of so-called "show your papers" laws passed in Colorado between 2006 to 2013, which led to some of the highest deportation numbers in the nation.
"Here in Colorado, we already know what the policies of mass deportation look like intimately," said Piper. "And what we found is our businesses suffered, our schools suffered, our kids suffered."
Voters surveyed said allowing law-abiding undocumented residents living in the United States for years, paying their taxes, to apply for citizenship is a better way forward than a deportation program that would tap local law enforcement, the National Guard and possibly the military, at a cost of over $100 billion.
To counter a barrage of anti-immigrant messaging and disinformation that has become part of mainstream conversations, the AFSC has launched a billboard and radio ad campaign in Colorado and five other states aiming to welcome all people to the U.S.
"We really wanted to share a message that would remind us that Colorado is stronger," said Piper, "because we value every single person's hard work and contribution."
Each year, immigrants add $54 billion to Colorado's economy, and Piper said people deserve the same rights as commercial goods and capital to move safely across borders.
She pointed to the Registry Act as one solution, which has been gaining co-sponsors in both the U.S. House and Senate.
"Which would allow people who are undocumented - who are our neighbors, who have been here a long time," said Piper, "to come forward and get on a path to citizenship. It just requires the changing of one date in existing immigration law."
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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With the Randall's Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center closing, immigrant advocates want the other such centers closed, too.
The centers were built to accommodate the influx of migrants from the southern border but they have been decried for poor health and safety conditions. Some Congressional leaders consider the Floyd Bennett Field relief center a disaster.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the city's shelter system is better equipped to help newly arriving migrants despite its imperfections.
"It is a system that has an infrastructure and staffing as well as facilities that they can use that are appropriate to shelter individuals seeking a place to stay while they get on their feet," Awawdeh pointed out.
However, shelters have been inundated with migrants since day one. New estimates showed 64,000 migrants spread across 200 of New York City's shelters. Awawdeh noted Randalls Island itself presented challenges for migrants since there is little access to public transportation or necessary services. He stressed from here, the conversation for migrants and other New Yorkers in shelters must center around their ability to assimilate into life in the city and thrive.
Another challenge migrants are dealing with is anti-immigrant policies from Mayor Eric Adams. One rule he issued limited migrant and asylum-seekers' shelter stays to 30 to 60 days. Awawdeh argued repealing the limits could improve migrant outcomes.
"We should be removing the 30- and 60-day limit so that people who actually need additional support are getting it," Awawdeh contended. "Then once they get that support more than likely they will be getting out on their own two feet being able to fully integrate within the city."
A New York City Comptroller report showed the rule's implementation was disorganized because other services migrants need are inadequate.
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