Massachusetts expands legal services for migrants amid surge
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Massachusetts is spending $2 million to expand state-funded legal services for migrants in response to the surge of new arrivals.
Why it matters: Legal help speeds up migrant applications for relief and work permits so they can find work and transition out of shelters sooner, thereby alleviating the strain on the state.
- More than 6,500 families are in the state's emergency family shelter system as of this week, a record high for Massachusetts.
Driving the news: The state will contract with eight refugee resettlement agencies to help fill out asylum petitions and work permit applications for thousands of migrants in up to 50 emergency shelters, Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced Thursday.
- This is separate from the existing state-funded legal services led by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
- The expansion will cover more than 70% of the state shelters that don't currently have legal services.
Of note: Officials also hope this will address the threat of notario fraud, where unlicensed people offer legal advice to new arrivals and often botch their immigration petitions.
Between the lines: The announcement comes as Democratic state and city leaders nationwide increase pressure on the Biden administration to accelerate federal work permit approvals.
- Healey administration officials say they met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' team to discuss the topic again this week.
Zoom out: The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it aims to process work permits faster for migrants admitted temporarily into the country and extend work permit validity to five years for certain non-citizens, including asylum applicants.
- The government also made Venezuelans who arrived by July 31, 2023 eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which grants work permits for two years. That status was previously limited to those who arrived by March 8, 2021.
Yes, but: In Massachusetts, Venezuelan migrants make up a small share of families in shelters, per the Healey administration.
- Healey officials and Massachusetts advocates say the federal government should extend Temporary Protected Status to Haitian and Central American migrants who have arrived more recently, and are demanding even further steps to accelerate work permit approvals, including provisional ones.
Reality check: Federal officials told Axios last month that many of the recommendations by local and state officials, like these, are either illegal or impractical.
What's next: The Massachusetts legal services expansion started this week with three refugee resettlement agencies and will grow to eight by mid-October.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s office about the cost of the program.