Around New England

Feds Should Pony Up ‘At Least $3 Billion’ For Shelters and Services For Migrants, Says Massachusetts U.S. Representative Lori Trahan

March 12, 2024

The federal Department of Homeland Security should set aside “at least $3 billion” for local communities to provide shelter and related government services for foreign migrants, a Massachusetts member of Congress said.

“There is a resounding need from cities and towns across the country for increased federal support to provide migrants with short term humanitarian services,” states a letter from U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-Westford) dated Monday, March 11 to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Subcommittee.

The momey is needed “to provide urgent resources to cities, states, and towns encountering high volumes of migrant arrivals,” Trahan’s letter says.

Since shortly after President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the federal government has been allowing migrants from other countries to enter the United States to apply for asylum as refugees and then releasing them into the country.

Trahan’s letter notes that it can take several years for a migrant’s case to come before a federal immigration judge for a decision on whether the migrant qualifies for asylum.

The letter was signed by Trahan and 19 other Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including four from Massachusetts:  William Keating (D-Bourne), James McGovern (D-Worcester), Seth Moulton (D-Salem), Ayanna Pressley (D-Hyde Park).

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