POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The Trump factor in Mass. migrant crisis

 

By Kelly Garrity SHELTER SOLUTIONS — Gov. Maura Healey has sparred with the president over many of his policies. But Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown may be helping solve one of the Democratic governor’s biggest political headaches. Almost two years after Healey declared a state of emergency over the surge of migrants arriving in Massachusetts, the administration announced Monday it would shutter all hotel shelters by the summer. That’s because the number of families in the once-overflowing emergency shelter system is expected to drop below 4,000 — a goal Massachusetts lawmakers were aiming to hit by the end of the year. Healey’s administration is pointing to the limits they’ve placed on which and how many families are eligible to stay in state-run shelters. “A hotel is no place to raise a family, and they are the least cost effective. That’s why we implemented reforms to lower caseloads and the cost of the shelter system,” Healey said in a statement. “We also promised to close all hotel shelters by the end of the year. I’m pleased that we are ahead of schedule, with more families getting jobs and moving to stable housing.” But the dramatic decrease in immigration is also undoubtedly playing a role. “We know since June of 2024 that fewer people have been coming into the country,” said Jeff Thielman, the CEO of International Institute of New England. The restrictions then-President Joe Biden placed on asylum last year have only increased under Trump , who won back the White House after promising to crack down on immigration. And as the number of families in Massachusetts' shelter system has dropped , the percentage of families who are long-time Massachusetts residents has also shifted: It’s now at roughly 85 percent, a change from 2023 when the state estimated that about half of those in the system were migrant families. But it’s not just state restrictions or federal immigration law that’s responsible for the state’s plummeting caseload. “There's been a lot of work to prepare people to exit the shelters,” Thielman told Playbook, including English classes and job search assistance. “And there's been an increase in that effort from organizations like ours to get people out of the shelters. Still, lower shelter caseload isn’t guaranteed to last, even as House and Senate budget writers gear up for a steep drop in shelter spending in fiscal year 26. Both chambers are calling for $275 million to fund the system that has cost the state closer to the $1 billion in recent years. But other federal policies — tariffs, for example — could mean more people turning to the shelter system down the line. “There's a lot of factors that put pressure on the emergency assistance system, one of which is, if the economy doesn't go in the right direction, and all of a sudden people don't have jobs or don't have enough money coming in,” Thielman said. DOGE DATA TRACKER — POLITICO just launched a new Pro tool to track the latest actions by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. A look at April and May alone reveals over 5,000 new contract, grant or lease cancellations. Pros can search new cuts, additions, and modifications by government agency, contractor, or congressional district. For access to exclusive reporting and tools like this, subscribe to POLITICO Pro or request a demo of our news service, directories and other products . GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . The two Republicans competing to run against Healey in next year’s gubernatorial race were both quick to write off the announcement. ****SLOW ZONE SHORTSLEEVE MBTA FAILURE! OR TRUMPER KENNEALY!*** Former MBTA executive Brian Shortsleeve’s campaign said Healey “has just reshuffled the deck and is again putting migrants ahead of our legal residents.” And Mike Kennealy, a former state economic development secretary, warned that the crisis “will persist” as migrant homeless families are moved into “taxpayer-subsidized apartments.” TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey,  first lady Joanna Lydgate  and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll  attend the Medals of Liberty and Fidelity Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at the State House. Healey  and Driscoll join the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting at 6 p.m. in Boston. Attorney General Andrea Campbell participates in a fireside chat at the Massachusetts Library Association’s annual conference at 11:30 a.m. in Falmouth. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a press conference on the budget reconciliation package at 3:45 p.m. in D.C. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour at 10 a.m. in Dorchester, speaks at the at the grand opening of The Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center at 5:45 p.m. in the West End and delivers remarks at the Boston EMS Awards and Retirement Banquet at 7 p.m. in Dorchester. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .  DATELINE BEACON HILL — Mass. Senate leaders tuck $10m in earmarks into ‘corrective’ amendment to millionaires tax spending bill by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “The final change Massachusetts senators made to a ‘millionaires tax’ spending bill appeared to be a technical one. Without debate, the chamber this month approved a so-called corrective amendment, an addition former lawmakers and staff say is generally used to correct drafting errors or make sure the bill’s bottom line is accurate. This one, however, did far more than make esoteric adjustments. In that single action, Senate Democrats swept in dozens of earmarks totaling nearly $10 million, many of which would push money to the towns and cities represented by Senate President Karen Spilka, Senate budget chief Michael Rodrigues, and other Senate leaders.” — Senate urged to bail out safety-net fund by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “State lawmakers are being urged to carve out a larger slice of the state budget to help community hospitals and clinics cover medical costs for large numbers of uninsured and low-income patients. The state Senate, which takes up a $62 billion state budget proposal on Tuesday, will be considering an amendment that calls for transferring $230 million from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to plug revenue gaps in the state Health Safety Net program.” PAY WALL FROM THE HUB — These Boston office buildings have been approved for housing conversion. Will investors buy in? by Catherine Carlock, The Boston Globe: “The owner of two downtown Boston office buildings that have been approved for conversion to housing is looking for other investors to make the transformation happen. In a key test of the appetite to fund residential conversions downtown, Billerica-based real estate firm KS Partners has tapped real estate brokerage CBRE to market 15 Court Square and 85 Devonshire St. in Boston to investors or developer partners, though KS plans to stay involved in the project. The Boston Planning and Development Agency board has approved plans to convert the downtown offices into a combined 175 apartments — 80 at 15 Court Square, and 95 at 85 Devonshire St. But the projects, which KS estimates would cost a combined $65 million, will need more equity financing to become a reality.” ***THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAMS WERE 'PRE-VETTED' & NOT CRIMINALS! THEY WORKED HARD, CREATED BUSINESSES & COMMITTED NO CRIMES! THEY BUILT COMMUNITIES! THIS IS A SHORT-SIGHTED ATTACK! IN SPRINGFIELD OHIO, THEY RE-BUILT A COMMUNITY UNTIL OUTRAGEOUS LIES WERE SPREAD BY TRUMP & JD VANCE ABOUT 'EATING PETS' THAT CAUSED MINDLESS FOLLOWERS TO THREATEN THEM!**** — Boston Mayor Wu leads legal challenge to Trump administration’s plans to strip immigration protections by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald : “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is co-leading a coalition of 30 U.S. cities, counties and elected officials challenging the Trump administration’s plans to strip legal protections for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Wu announced that she was spearheading an amicus, or ‘friend of the court,’ brief on Monday, at around the same time that the Supreme Court chose to allow the Trump administration to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation.” excerpt:  “The Trump administration’s termination of the CHNV parole program targets immigrants, instilling fear in our communities and threatening the foundation of safety and trust that helps keep everyone safe,” Wu said in a statement. “We are joining other cities and counties from across the country to protect the rights of more than 530,000 residents who are living and working legally through this program and ensure this critical program can continue. “We will never stop working to make Boston a home for everyone,” she added. Established in January 2023, the CHNV parole program was designed to offer certain people the right to live and work in the United States if conditions in their home country made it an urgent humanitarian imperative. The program is aimed, in part, in reducing immigrants’ reliance on smugglers for entry into the country, and allows for “pre-vetted migration through airports,” Wu’s office said. Participants are able to seek humanitarian relief, including asylum, through a two-year parole period, the mayor’s office said. Wu’s office said Monday that terminating the parole program would undermine public safety, undercut residents’ confidence in their legal rights, and deter residents from calling 911 for emergencies or to report a crime. ****MALCOLM X!**** Interesting insight: Q&A with Ahmed Osman ’65 on 100th anniversary of Malcolm X’s birth The Dartmouth sat down with Osman, who facilitated Malcolm X’s visit to Dartmouth in 1965. THE DARTMOUTH — Boston takes new steps to recognize the legacy of Malcolm X by Magdiela Matta, GBH News. excerpt:  Jamarhl Crawford has raised flags at Boston’s City Hall for many events, particularly those with pertinence to the Black community. On Monday, the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X’s birth, Crawford watched as a city employee raised the red, black and green Pan-African flag. Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925; his family moved to Michigan when he was a child, and then he spent his teenage years in Boston. His half-sister Ella Collins took custody of him in 1941, until he was arrested five years later on charges of theft and breaking and entering. In prison he joined the Nation of Islam; emerged from prison as Malcom X and became a minister for the Nation and a leading spokesman for Black empowerment. He was assassinated in 1965. Crawford said that when he was 10, his brother gifted him the Autobiography of Malcom X and it changed his life. He said he saw his neighborhood reflected in Malcolm’s words. “He came from the streets, he represented coolness, both when he was in the underworld and then after he found himself,” Crawford said.   Did you know Playbook goes beyond the newsletter—with powerhouse new co-hosts at the mic? Tune in to The Playbook Podcast every weekday for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington, straight from Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns. Start listening now .     THE RACE FOR CITY HALL ****BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG FOCUSES ON HYSTERIA! NOTICE HOW THE BLOVIATORS: THE NEWTON NEBBISH & NO FACTS FLYNN RUSH TO GOSSIP COLUMIST GAYLA CAWLEY WHO FILLS PAGES WITH REGURGITATED MANURE.... ED FLYNN SEEMS TO HAVE A SINGLE BLEATING DEMAND CALLING FOR RESIGNATIONS... https://youtu.be/_uR3BrSP9Rc?si=255bHPYlfrDJCjDQ THE BUS TRAGEDY, WHILE INCOMPREHENSIBLE, BELONGS TO THE FAILURES OF THE BUS COMPANY... CARPETBAGGING NEWTON NEBBISH HAS NO ISSUES TO RUN ON & RUSHES TO ATTACK WITH NO FACTS!**** — Josh Kraft pushes Mayor Wu to reveal Cabinet chief’s ‘role’ in Boston City Hall dispute by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “After a city councilor called for Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu to be ousted, mayoral candidate Josh Kraft pressed Mayor Michelle Wu to reveal Idowu’s ‘role’ in the City Hall domestic violence scandal. Kraft released a statement Monday that his campaign said is ‘regarding questions surrounding the role of the city’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion in a recent dispute between several subordinates.’” — Amesbury's Rinaldi not seeking reelection by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News: “While municipal elections are still months away, District 2 City Councilor Anthony Rinaldi shook the local political landscape on Monday by announcing he will not be returning once his term ends this fall. ‘I think we need some younger people. I'd be 83 when they swore me in,’ Rinaldi said.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES ****ZERO EMISSIONS!**** — Merrimack Valley prepares to launch New England's first zero emission passenger ferries by Chris Burrell, GBH News: “Merrimack Valley officials are planning to launch New England’s first-ever zero emission ferry next year to provide passenger service on the Merrimack River between Haverhill, Amesbury and Newburyport. The small scale project is being eyed by other transit officials as a kind of proof-of-concept that could open the door to wider use of zero-emission boats around the state. Officials from the Merrimack Valley Transit, also known as MeVa, say they will advertise this month for bids to build two solar-powered ferries, armed with a $4.2 million federal grant.” DAY IN COURT ****REVOKING TPS!**** — Supreme Court allows Trump administration to revoke legal statuses of 350K Venezuelans by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “The Supreme Court on Monday permitted the Trump administration to revoke the legal protections of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants President Joe Biden, at the end of his term, extended the deadlines of about 350,000 Venezuelans with temporary protected status so they could remain and work in the United States legally. That includes many in Massachusetts.” IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN — No signs of major progress at offshore wind project by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: “In February 2024, Gov. Maura Healey and Vineyard Wind touted 68 megawatts of power pouring onto the grid from five offshore wind turbines, saying Massachusetts was on its way toward fulfilling the promise of more jobs, lower costs and energy independence associated with home-grown production. … Fifteen months later, the Healey administration's ambitious offshore wind procurement pursuits have largely stalled. The governor's team says Vineyard Wind is running four turbines in the waters south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. And Vineyard Wind officials don't want to answer basic questions about their project.” FROM THE 413 ****HOMELESSNESS! NO SIMPLE SOLUTIONS!*** — Mayor Marchetti’s encampment ban ordinance draws backlash from housing advocates, city residents by Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle: “Pittsfield mayor Peter Marchetti has introduced an ordinance that would amend the city’s code to ban people from creating temporary shelter on public property, whether that be a tent in a local park, a bedroll in a doorway on North Street or a sleeping bag tucked under the eave of the library. Advocates say it would criminalize people who don’t have a place to live — exposing them to heightened policing, reinforcing structural racism and further entrenching them in poverty with fines they can’t pay.” excerpt:  “When I look at this ordinance, unfortunately I see cruelty,” said Sean Manion, lead organizer of Berkshire Interfaith Organizing. “I would like to ask the mayor if he’s comfortable aligning himself with this particular Supreme Court on this particular question." Nonprofit leaders and organizers said they don’t deny that the city has a housing crisis — they want to see people exit homelessness into safe and long-term housing. “We’re always looking for permanent solutions. We want people to be in permanent spaces,” said Kristin Coyne, who oversees properties for Hearthway. “We don’t want people to live in an encampment forever.” But they disagree with Marchetti’s approach. “Homelessness is a complex issue," said Fernando Leon, an organizer with Berkshire Interfaith Organizing. "It requires comprehensive and compassionate solutions, not just one-sided ordinances that simply push people in crisis further into invisibility.”  Leon sees the camping ordinance and the median safety ordinance that Marchetti introduced in March as inextricably linked. They’ve left him with a question — who are public spaces for and whose public safety is of concern? “It’s a mindset,” Leon said. “Our public lands belong to all of us. If we fence out those in crisis, we betray our moral duty and we break the trust that brings community together, that brings congregations together.” SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT One of the primary concerns for organizers and nonprofit leaders with this proposed ordinance is the question of enforcement. The “camping” ordinance says that any person violating the ordinance would be subject to the temporary seizure of personal property, and “any person causing, permitting, abiding, abetting or concealing a violation of this chapter shall be subject to criminal and noncriminal penalties.” It also reserves the right for the city to “exercise its discretion to enforce this Section as resources permit.” Organizers have three key issues with this — enforcement would be selective, it would expand the policing of unhoused people and it would have a disparate impact on already marginalized communities, they said. In Pittsfield and across the country, homelessness — and all the issues that can lead someone there — don’t affect people equally. Those who are already marginalized because of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability or other identities are more likely to experience homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that in 2020, Black people made up 13 percent of the nation’s general population, but more than 40 percent of the homeless population. Indigenous people, people who identify as mixed race, and LGBTQ+ people also experience homelessness at disproportionate rates, and those disparities are not improving over time. This holds true in Pittsfield. According to data from the Three County Continuum of Care, of the 187 people who were unhoused on a single night in January, 51 percent identified as Black, African American or African. Fifty-five percent were people of color. In comparison, Black and African Americans were 7 percent of the city’s population at the time of the 2020 census. People of color as a whole made up about 29 percent. “[The ordinance’s] implementation would almost definitely have a racist impact. That’s not an accusation against the mayor or any city councilors or any personality,” Manion said. “I would call this an example of structural racism where, regardless of the intent, the systems, the policies, the structures we put in place reproduce dynamics of white supremacy.” Organizers and nonprofit leaders said they are worried that enforcement of the ordinance would fall on the police, effectively increasing policing of people who appear to be poor or unhoused. “When we talk about the capacity of the Pittsfield Police Department in handling people in a crisis, brown people in a crisis, we have seen that they are not effective in doing so,” Leon said. “We’ve seen that the type of crisis interventions they use are based on force, and that usually escalates the situation until someone might end up [being] killed.” Marchetti said under the ordinance, city departments would expand and continue the "multifaceted approach" already in place for monitoring the parks. "Currently, when we see an encampment in the city parks, they are approached by some member of the team," Marchetti said. "We provide them with a ... placard that says they can't stay here and they're given a period of time of how long they can stay there, along with all the resources that are available for them." The enforcement of the ordinance also stands to further entrench unhoused people in poverty with fines they can’t pay and increase the number of unhoused people cycling through the local jail. Kamaar Taliaferro, chair of the political action committee for the Berkshire County chapter of the NAACP, said that would add yet another barrier in people's journey to accessing stable housing since employers and landlords can and do deny people employment and housing if they have a criminal record. “The Berkshire County House of Corrections is not a homeless shelter,” Taliaferro said. “If we begin to think that we can utilize the criminal justice system, to address what are ultimately ways that we fall short in upholding the human covenant between us, we aren't solving anything.” 'WHERE WOULD I GO?' It’s the question on everyone’s minds: If the ordinance were to move forward and people could no longer sleep on public property, where else would they go? Already, people face countless barriers to accessing affordable and stable housing. Waitlists for subsidized apartments — which are often the only housing people living on low and fixed incomes can afford — number in the hundreds, leaving people to wait months if not years for a unit. In the intervening time, people have few options — double up with a family member, sleep on a friend’s couch, hope there’s an open bed at the local shelter. When those options fail, people seek other places to rest. A park bench. A shielded stretch of sidewalk. A clearing in the woods. Jason Jones is one of them. Ten years ago, Jones’ husband was diagnosed with cancer and given two years to live. Jones became his full-time caregiver — not for two years, but 10 — and when his husband died, Jones could no longer afford to keep their apartment. For a while, Jones said he couch surfed at friends’ homes. When he felt he’d outstayed his welcome, he started finding other places to spend the night. “Sometimes I’m too tired to even walk to the meal sites,” said Jones, who has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “I’m at the point where it’s like, why do I keep going? This is no way to live.” — Rowe Selectboard race questioned after campaign miscues by Madison Schofield, Greenfield Recorder: “Town officials are awaiting guidance from the State Ethics Commission after both candidates for a Rowe Selectboard seat in Saturday’s election may have committed campaign or ethics law violations.”   Policy moves fast—stay ahead with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant. Effortlessly search POLITICO's archive of 1M+ news articles, analysis documents, and legislative text. Track legislation, showcase your impact, and generate custom reports in seconds. Designed for POLITICO Pro subscribers, this tool helps you make faster, smarter decisions. Start exploring now .     THE LOCAL ANGLE ***WORCESTER & ICE GESTAPO ABUSE!***** — Worcester councilor slams ICE protesters, says they should have helped children by Adam Bass MassLive: “A Worcester City Councilor asserts that people on Eureka Street who protested the May 8 arrest of a Brazilian mother made the situation worse, claiming they should have focused their efforts on helping the mother’s daughters. … People who protested the arrest ‘crossed a line,’ and were accused by authorities of obstructing and physically assaulting ICE agents and Worcester Police officers at the scene, [Councilor-at-Large and Public Safety Committee Chair Kathleen] Toomey said in her statement.” — Four South Shore towns voted on tax overrides to help budget. Only one passed measure by Hannah Morse, The Patriot Ledger: “At its annual election, Hanover passed its $3.7 million override by a vote of 3,118 for, or 60%, and 2,065 against. This turnout was equivalent to a little over half of the votes cast during the 2024 general election, which tends to bring more voters out to the polls. But Hanson, Norwell and Whitman all rejected their proposed overrides. Hanson had pitched a $3 million override, while Norwell asked for a $3.7 million override and Whitman requested a $2 million override.” — Report describes aggressive behavior by Billerica Select Board member by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: “An investigation by an outside firm into the conduct of Billerica Select Board member Dina Favreau found she violated the Code of Conduct on multiple occasions during interactions with town staff and fellow Select Board members in recent months.” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Former Methuen City Councilor James McCarty will be the new chief of staff to Mayor David D.J. Beauregard. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Corey Welford, former state Rep. Juana Matias, Allison Goldberg, Kathy Giles, Matt Solberg, Charlotte Zanecchia, Bill Broadway, Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy and UMass journalism’s Kathy Roberts Forde. Happy belated to Francine Segan, who celebrated Monday. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on X Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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