READING, MASS. (WHDH) - More than 1,700 people showed up in Reading Thursday as the state of Massachusetts held a work authorization clinic for migrants who are new to the state.
The clinic was part of an effort to help migrants get jobs. Speaking on Thursday, officials said such efforts will help free up space more quickly in the state’s shelter system.
“These migrants are all here legally and they are eager to work,” said Massachusetts Emergency Assistance Director Scott Rice. “Our business is to help them get employed.”
Through initiatives like this week’s work authorization clinic, the state is trying to help people do in one day what might otherwise take them weeks and multiple visits.
Clinic attendees could get vaccinations. They could talk to lawyers about their legal cases. And there were people on sight to take care of their children while they move through the clinic itself.
The push to get work authorization for migrants comes as the waiting list for shelter space in Massachusetts has grown to nearly 100.
National Guard Specialist Grace Colin from Brockton on Thursday used the Haitian language she learned talking with her grandmother to translate for migrants who made their way from Haiti to Chile and then walked north to the US border.
“Some people died because they couldn’t eat,” she said. “They couldn’t survive. A lot of women and children passed.”
“But they just basically explain that they’re strong, resilient and they’re happy to be here,” she continued.
The Massachusetts state legislature just passed a supplemental budget which includes more money for migrants.
At the work authorization clinic in Reading, a representative of the Biden Administration said the president wants to answer Gov. Healey’s plea for more federal help.
He also answered critics who complain the government is giving migrants too much, especially considering many may have to go back to their home countries if their asylum claims are denied.
“These are people who are here,” said Deputy Assistant to the President Daniel Koh. “They want to work.”
“I’m sure if you talk to any small business owner around the country, they are saying they need workers,” he continued. “And so, we want to make sure that we are cutting down the bureaucracy as much as possible and making that a reality.”
Officials in Reading on Thursday said the number of migrants arriving in Massachusetts has decreased in recent months.
As migrants still arrive in the state, though, Healey Administration officials said they may run additional work authorization clinics.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)