SINCE 2014, 15 states and the District of Columbia have offered driver’s licenses to those in the country illegally. Three states, Washington, New Mexico, and Utah offered licenses in 1993, 2003, and 2005, respectively. Massachusetts and Rhode Island will begin issuing licenses on July 1, 2023. The primary reason offered by proponents has been that […]
Immigration
Posted inOpinion
Question 4 is an investment in health
“WELL, I’M SCARED to drive to the appointment,” my patient Henry finally admitted over the phone. I heard him catch his breath and hold it. He hadn’t been in for a medical checkup in years. He had been pushed out of Chelsea when his rent was raised, and now lives a 45-minute drive from the […]
Posted inImmigration, Opinion, Politics
For safety and fairness, vote yes on Question 4
OPPONENTS OF DRIVER’S licenses for undocumented immigrants are hammering one message – fear. Yet, every day we all drive safely next to undocumented workers who legally travel to Massachusetts from neighboring states. Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York have all passed laws giving their undocumented residents the ability to pass a driving test and […]
Posted inImmigration, Opinion
Cost of citizenship application is barrier for many
About 30,000 people living in Boston are eligible for US citizenship. Nationwide, more than 9 million people are eligible to apply for American citizenship, and yet less than 10 percent of them apply each year. Why? For far too many, the impediment is the $725 fee that US Citizenship and Immigration Services charges to process […]
Posted inImmigration
Filling in the blanks on Martha’s Vineyard migrant tale
UNLIKE MOST INTRIGUE-FILLED capers, this one came with the ultimate question that’s usually answered at the end of the story – whodunit? – already settled. When two plane loads of Venezuelan migrants from Texas landed last month on Martha’s Vineyard, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis quickly took credit. “Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with […]
Posted inImmigration
Baker once again refuses to criticize DeSantis
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER once again declined to criticize Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for airlifting Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, saying he doesn’t want to get caught in the crossfire between Republicans and Democrats running for president. On GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” show on Monday, host Jim Braude said he understood Baker declined to […]
Posted inPolitics
Filings flesh out opposing sides in immigrant driver’s license fight
UNIONS AND LIBERAL-LEANING groups are spearheading the campaign to keep in place the state’s new law granting driver’s licenses to immigrants without legal status, while a repeal effort is being led by the conservative-leaning Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance and its founder Rick Green, with support from individual donors. The first campaign finance reports shedding light on […]
Posted inImmigration
Baker blames Washington, not DeSantis
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Sunday did not criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for flying immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last week. Instead, he blamed Democrats and Republicans in Washington for failing to pass comprehensive legislation to address the nation’s “screwed up” immigration system. “It’s not a secret to anyone that our immigration system […]
Posted inImmigration, Politics
Why are migrants being flown to Martha’s Vineyard?
Why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flying immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard? It appears to be mainly a move made for political gain. DeSantis appears to have flown two planeloads of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard from another state – Texas – with no warning or coordination with officials in Massachusetts. News reports indicate the two flights […]
Posted inImmigration, Politics, Transportation
Diehl, through signature effort, finds an issue
REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL candidate Geoff Diehl, whose campaign has been searching for an issue to run on, apparently helped create one. Proponents of an initiative petition overturning a law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses said on Wednesday they had gathered more than twice as many signatures as they need to put the measure on […]