Some migrant aid coming

Oct 30, 2023

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BREAKING THIS AM: CALL AND PARTIAL RESPONSE — State and federal officials will hold a legal clinic next month to help process work permits for migrants in the emergency shelter system, Gov. Maura Healey’s administration said moments ago.

Healey has long argued that expediting work authorizations is key to helping migrants move out of emergency shelter and into more permanent living situations. Now, freeing up shelter space is paramount with the system likely to hit the Healey administration's self-imposed capacity limit of 7,500 families this week.

Federal Department of Homeland Security officials will partner with the state on the legal clinic that’s slated for the week of Nov. 13. The state will organize appointments for migrants and provide transportation to and from shelter sites to the clinic, which will be run out of Middlesex County. The partnership comes weeks after DHS officials met with senior members of the Healey administration to assess the migrant crisis and the strain it’s putting on the family shelter system. And it follows a similar clinic in New York City, another Democratic stronghold overwhelmed by new arrivals.

“We are glad that the Biden-Harris Administration is hosting this clinic with us, which will help process work authorizations as efficiently as possible. Many shelter residents want to work but face significant barriers to getting their work authorizations,” Healey said in a statement. “This clinic will be critical for building on the work that our administration has already been leading to connect more migrants with work opportunities.”

But the clinic likely won’t come soon enough to stop the shelter system from reaching the 7,500-family cutoff that’s prompted a class-action lawsuit against the state.

Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston is suing Healey’s housing office and its secretary, Ed Augustus, on behalf of three families “on the brink of homelessness” and eligible for emergency shelter, according to the complaint and a press release.

The lawsuit filed Friday accuses the state of moving to change the “right-to-shelter” law — by capping the shelter system and creating a waitlist for additional arrivals — without a public process or proper notice to the Legislature. It seeks an emergency hearing and a temporary restraining order to stop the Healey administration from “undermining” the rule that compels the state to shelter unhoused families and pregnant women. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is “reviewing the filing,” a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Healey administration plans to outline additional information this week about how the shelter system will work once it's full. There were 7,268 families in the emergency shelter program on Friday.

At the same time, housing advocates are ramping up pressure on Beacon Hill lawmakers to approve the governor’s request for $250 million to help bolster the system — and they're planning a demonstration in front of the State House tomorrow to amplify their calls.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Are you a provider serving families in the emergency shelter system? Talk to us, we can keep you anonymous: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com.

TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference on equity in city contracting at 9:15 a.m. at the Bolling building and attends a Halloween event at the Irish Social Club of Boston at 1 p.m. Rep. Jim McGovern is “principal for the day” at Uxbridge High at 10 a.m. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) speaks at Tufts at noon.

A message from Conservation Law Foundation:

Conservation Law Foundation is separating fact from fiction when it comes to the role of bioenergy in cutting climate-damaging pollution and transforming our economy to one built on clean energy. The economic, environmental, and public health of our communities and businesses demand that we invest in energy efficiency and clean energy sources while moving with caution and care on bioenergy resources.

FROM THE HUB

TENTS COMING DOWN — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says there’s “no magic wand” to wave to solve the twin drug and homelessness crises around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. But she told WCVB's "On the Record" that a newly approved ordinance making it easier for police to quickly clear tent encampments should help.

The city will take down tents and tarp shelters at Mass and Cass this week and will ramp up its police presence there in an effort to deter more crime. City officials said they have enough shelter beds for those being displaced and will work to connect people with permanent housing and substance-use treatment.

Removing tents at Mass and Cass hasn’t always worked. Asked what’s different this time, Wu said her plan reflects “a progression for the city" in refining what works in the area and what doesn't. Add to that the new ordinance and the city's progress on securing the permits for rebuilding the Long Island bridge — a crucial step to reopening services there.

But City Council President Ed Flynn thinks people will keep coming to Mass and Cass to test how serious the city is about cleaning up the area, he told the Herald.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— “'A higher turnout': Mail ballots running at historic pace ahead of Worcester election,” Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “With less than two weeks left before Election Day, the city clerk's office is reporting the highest numbers of mail-in ballot requests and returns in city election history."

— “Public safety at forefront in Springfield mayoral contest between Domenic J. Sarno and Justin J. Hurst,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “One of Hurst’s biggest arguments is Sarno has tightened his circle of supporters and his longevity means the same residents and business leaders benefit from his governance. … Sarno disagrees, arguing he is inclusive and his policies and financial decisions have benefited everyone. For example, the schools have improved, he says, with no high school seeing a graduation rate lower than 86% and most well over 90%.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Green Line needs new maintenance program, equipment for overhead power system, T chief says,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “The T’s top official said Friday that recent failures of the overhead electrical system that have caused hours-long service disruptions revealed shortcomings in how the beleaguered agency has been maintaining its equipment — but it’s not yet clear how widespread the problem is.”

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

DELEGATION DIVIDED — The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to divide the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern keep calling for a ceasefire. But Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey said in a statement on Friday that Israel “has a right to defend its citizens." The senators also called for “humanitarian pauses" to deliver aid and the "unconditional release of all remaining hostages.”

That’s still not satisfactory for the hundreds of former staffers from Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign who have been circulating an open letter urging her to call for full de-escalation. Warren called two of those staffers last week, both camps said. One of them, Juliana Amin, said in a statement to Playbook that the senator was “non-committal on the call” and that a “humanitarian pause … puts zero pressure on Israel to stop its bombardment after aid is delivered.”

NEW — More than 180 health professionals from the Boston area’s top hospitals and medical schools — including Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical — have signed an open letter urging the entire congressional delegation to call for a ceasefire and an “end to the Israeli siege of Gaza.” Members of the newly formed “Healthcare Workers for Palestine” coalition plan to deliver copies of the letters to Warren and Markey’s offices at the JFK Federal Building later today. Read the letter.

— “Medway family stranded in Gaza on ‘desperate hunt for food and water’ as they wait to escape into Egypt,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe.

— “Harvard President Claudine Gay convenes antisemitism advisory board amid ‘resurgence of bigotry’ on campus,” by Mike Damiano and Hilary Burns, Boston Globe.

— “Jewish groups urge Boston-area universities to investigate Students for Justice in Palestine chapters for applauding Hamas after terrorist attacks in Israel,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald.

A message from Conservation Law Foundation:

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Rep. Keating supports ‘safe injection’ sites to reduce overdoses,” by Grace Ferguson, New Bedford Light: “In an interview with The Light, [Rep. Bill] Keating said he supports overdose prevention sites. ... The sites are controversial — the New Bedford City Council unanimously voted to oppose them in 2019. Critics say they only enable drug use, but Keating said that’s a ‘ridiculous’ myth.”

MEANWHILE IN MAINE

MAINE IN MOURNING — Robert Card, the man accused of killing 18 people and injuring 13 others in a shooting rampage that has rocked Maine and reverberated across the region, was found dead on Friday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His death ends the immediate threat in Maine, but the reckoning and recovery has only just begun. Mourners gathered at church services across the region and at vigils in Lisbon Falls and in Lewiston. Residents and shop owners now fear for their safety in public. And details continue to emerge about Card's background — including that he had tried to buy a silencer months before the massacre but was denied.

— “Maine police were alerted weeks ago about shooter’s threats,” by Bernard Condon and Jim Mustian, The Associated Press.

— “The Maine mass shooting changed Representative Jared Golden’s mind on assault weapons. Will it change his state?” by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe.

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2024 WATCH

DEAN, WHO? — Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) launched his primary challenge to President Joe Biden in New Hampshire on Friday to indifference from the Biden campaign and befuddlement from voters who had never heard of him. Phillips is drafting off concerns about Biden’s age and hoping Granite State voters will reward him for doing what Biden isn't — participating in the state's first-in-the-nation primary, even if the DNC refuses to seat any delegates he might win.

Longtime Democratic operatives in the state plan to roll out a write-in campaign for Biden early this week. But, notably, Bill Shaheen, the husband of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), is helping Phillips, The Atlantic reports, as repercussions from Biden’s move to reorder the Democratic nominating calendar continue to reverberate in the state. Read POLITICO's Jonathan Martin on Biden's "big New Hampshire blunder."

WHOOPS — Phillips waxed poetic on Friday about a summer camp in New Hampshire he attended as a kid. The Union Leader’s Kevin Landrigan reports the camp was actually based just over the border in Maine.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS — Former Vice President Mike Pence shocked those gathered at a Republican Jewish Coalition summit in Las Vegas on Saturday when he said he was dropping his presidential bid. But the end has been a long time coming for his struggling campaign, POLITICO’s Adam Wren writes.

A message from Conservation Law Foundation:

Conservation Law Foundation is working to fight climate change and secure a livable and healthy future for all New Englanders. We know New England needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels, and that presents a pressing question: What role will bioenergy play in the region’s energy system as we move toward 2050? The fossil fuel industry is leaning hard on selling biofuels such as renewable natural gas as viable options to meet state mandates for cutting climate-damaging emissions. On the face of it, alternative fuels sound good. But what’s beneath the surface is more of the same climate-damaging fuels. We don’t have time or resources to waste on costly and ineffective solutions. Conservation Law Foundation is sorting fact from fiction. Bioenergy’s role in New England’s clean energy future is a limited and targeted one.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — White House deputy Cabinet secretary Dan Koh is being promoted to deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

— Nicole Giambusso is joining the state Department of Higher Education as communications director. She previously was comms director at Salem State University.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Jackie Tempera, Sandy Flint, Lydia Chernicoff and Glenda Izaguirre. Happy belated to Emily Kibbe, who celebrated Sunday.

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