
A lengthy list of Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Massachusetts called on top Congressional officials in Washington and the Biden administration to pass immigration reform as the state deals with a surge of migrants and a shortage of emergency shelters.
The letter, signed by more than 60 representatives and senators, comes as Democratic pressure mounts on the Biden administration and Congress from multiple states as they grapple with how to handle thousands of new arrivals entering already overburdened shelter systems.
State Sen. Marc Pacheco, Taunton Democrat, led the letter, which argues that comprehensive immigration reform is urgently needed to address a dysfunctional entry system and a “rapidly-devolving” workforce shortage. The last major reform, Pacheco said later in the day, happened more than 30 years ago.
“The last time we took legal immigration legislation predates the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the internet,” Pacheco said at the State House. “The world is a completely different place today. We need an immigration system that allows the U.S. to meet the challenges of the rest of this 21st century.”
The lawmakers are in some ways echoing a similar call from Gov. Maura Healey, who has pressed Biden administration officials to expedite work authorizations for newly arrived migrants in the hopes that employment will help them quickly transition out of emergency shelters.
In her own letter this month, Healey asked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to put in place a handful of regulatory changes that Healey said would help migrants quickly and efficiently apply for work authorizations.
Pacheco and the lawmakers argued that an influx of immigrants to the United States “has historically helped establish a robust domestic workforce.”
“We the undersigned members of the Massachusetts General Court respectfully urge the United States Congress to act expeditiously to enact legislation relative to comprehensive immigration reform and, in doing so, help resolve the dual crises of a dysfunctional immigration system and a rapidly-devolving domestic workforce shortage,” the letter concluded.
The letter was addressed to President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Among the Massachusetts signatories are Assistant Majority Leader Sen. John Lovely, Assistant Majority Whip Sen. Julian Cyr, and House Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones.