The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MCH), Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), and the undersigned organizations support the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s efforts to expand resources for shelter, housing, and other resources for families experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. We affirm the Administration’s commitment to preserving access to the Commonwealth’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system for all eligible families with children. We are also grateful for the broad call to action to support newly arrived immigrant families. We stand ready to share our knowledge and assistance in these efforts in the days and weeks ahead, and we offer key recommendations today.
The Massachusetts Legislature is considering whether to include tuition equity in the FY24 budget. This measure would extend in-state tuition and access to state financial aid to students in the Commonwealth, regardless of immigration status.
Media Contact:
Christine Dunn, Seven Letter
christine@sevenletter.com
617.646.1044
Boston (April 26,2023) – Members of the media and public are invited to attend a legislative briefing event on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 to raise awareness to the plight of the immigrant community who lack access to basic food assistance and other key benefits. This event will highlight the need for both legislation and funding to restore basic food and cash assistance benefits for legally present immigrants, and will include presentations from medical professionals and organizations working with immigrant families. It will also include resources for constituent services staff working with immigrant families.
Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs) are abused, abandoned and neglected young people who may qualify for lawful permanent residence (known as “green card” status) under federal laws created to protect this vulnerable population. While some SIJs are eligible to apply for permanent residence immediately, over 45,000 Special Immigrant Juveniles from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are trapped in a visa “backlog” and must wait years for one of the numerically limited slots to become available.
Boston, MA (March 29, 2023) – The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute applauds the state legislature’s passage and Governor Healey’s enaction of the FY23 supplemental budget, which includes critically important provisions for low-income Massachusetts residents facing food insecurity and housing instability.
The event will take place at La Colaborativa’s Food Pantry in Chelsea on Wednesday, Feb. 15th at 3:30 pm.
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Christine Dunn, Seven Letter
christine@sevenletter.com
617.646.1044
Chelsea, MA (February 13, 2023) – La Colaborativa and The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute announced that they will be hosting an event to launch their Feeding Our Neighbors campaign on Wednesday, February 15th at 3:30pm. The campaign’s purpose is twofold: to raise awareness to the plight of the immigrant community who lack access to basic needs and benefits, and to highlight the need for both legislation and funding to restore basic food and cash assistance benefits for legally present immigrants.
Mass Law Reform is powered by our advocates – talented and committed individuals who work together to fight for the needs of low-income people. Our second advocate is Iris Gomez, a Senior Staff Attorney in Immigration.
Iris Gomez joined MLRI as an immigration attorney in March 1992. A nationally-recognized immigration law expert, she directs MLRI’s Immigrants Protection Project. She is the former chair of the National Immigration Law Center’s board of directors and has played leadership roles in numerous bar associations, government task forces, and community organizations, in addition to teaching immigration law at Boston area law schools. She currently serves as a Trustee of the Hyams Foundation. In addition to her professional accomplishments, she is the author of the Boston Globe best-seller TRY TO REMEMBER, an immigrant coming-of-age novel that won praise from prominent national magazines such as O, The Oprah Magazine as well as an International Latino Book Award.
Last updated on September 21 at 11:15am
Added September 21
What legal procedures will the asylum seekers have to go through?
Asylum seekers are required to file for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States. This requires filing an application for asylum and supporting documentation demonstrating that the individual qualifies for asylum - specifically that a person is outside of their country and is unable or unwilling to return for fear of persecution based on their race, religion, ethnicity, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
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