As migrants settle throughout Massachusetts, a look at who they are

Over 80 municipalities across the state have received families and pregnant women in need of shelter — Dartmouth recently became one of them. 

Massachusetts’ “right-to-shelter” law has existed for four decades, but the system is being tested by a recent influx of migrants, many of whom are fleeing gang violence and state instability. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities estimates that about half of the families in temporary shelters are new arrivals to the state. 

All families and pregnant women eligible for shelter are in the country legally, according to the office, despite signs from recent protests In Fairhaven that called the new residents “illegal immigrants.”

To be eligible for assistance at all, “families must be here with the knowledge and consent of federal immigration authorities,” according to Kevin Connor, press secretary for Housing and Livable Communities. 

At least one member of the family must be a citizen; a non-citizen with a “green card,” meaning they are admitted for permanent residence; or a non-citizen “permanently residing under color of law,” which often means that the resident has applied for asylum in the US.

Of the recent influx, “the vast majority” are in the last category, according to Olivia James, communications with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. 

Most of the new arrivals are coming from Haiti, James said. 

Haiti, in the wake of several natural disasters over the past two decades, is “descending into a catastrophic spiral of violence,” according to an April 2023 assessment by the United Nations, and “gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe.”

UNICEF estimates that nearly 3 million children require humanitarian assistance in Haiti, as they face violence, hunger and a resurgence of cholera in the country. 

The next steps for migrants housed in temporary shelters? Finding a job. Though the state estimates that half of all migrants in shelters are children, adults will need to obtain work authorization, learn English and work with MassHire, the state’s employment and training service, to find a position. 

State Sen. Marc Pacheco has said that he wants the immigration laws to be changed to make it easier for migrants to start working, and he recently signed a letter urging Congress to take action.

The state pays for the cost associated with sheltered families, including hotels and meals. That being said, additional support has been provided by local food assistance organizations, and some municipalities have helped assess vaccine needs; while all of the migrants are vaccinated, standards are different across different countries. 

School districts will receive emergency aid for transportation, enrollment and other costs, at a rate of $104 per student per day, according to the office of Housing and Livable Communities..