It has been a difficult few months for immigrants in Massachusetts, but there is finally some good news. Lawmakers have approved millions of dollars in funding under a supplemental budget that allows immigrants in the state to access SNAP benefits. The legislation covers residents who are not citizens but are in the immigration process or have legal status. Massachusetts used to provide SNAP benefits to immigrants in the late 90s, but the state halted funding for this aspect of the program in 2002. Twenty-one years later, it is getting a welcome renewal. Immigrants in Massachusetts have faced shelter and food insecurity recently as the state’s shelter system reached capacity in November, but the hope is that expanded food benefits will lessen the burdens migrant families are experiencing.

The Chelsea-based La Colaborativa runs a twice-weekly food pantry and sees around 10,000 people every week, and its director of policy and organizing, Norieliz DeJesus, calls the renewed policy “huge.” “This is going to be such a relief for many [families] because they’re dealing with so much on their plate,” she told WBUR. SNAP benefits will allow immigrant families to shop at a grocery store instead of waiting in line at food pantries or shelters, a significant benefit given that many food pantries only distribute food at certain times. DeJesus said that families will no longer “have to be under the pressure of making the food line on time or leaving the food line in time to pick up their child from school…it provides them with a sense of dignity.” The funding comes through just in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

There are signs of changes to immigration policy at the federal level as well, though these changes are less likely to be welcomed by immigration advocates. The Biden administration last week indicated it would be open to stricter border policies in a trade-off with Republicans to support military aid for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Measures would include new legal authority for border agents to expel migrants without processing asylum claims and expedited removal of immigrants who have not requested asylum. While these policies may be part of a negotiation with Republicans, they could also be a response to public pressure as the 2024 presidential election approaches. A recent CBS poll found immigration to be the second most important issue for voters, and according to NPR, 50% of Americans see immigration as a “major concern.” While most Americans are supportive of some level of immigration, recent polling from Gallup has shown that a significant percentage of the population wants to see immigration to the United States decrease. A majority of Americans want pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but many are concerned with the perceived consequences of illegal immigration.

Multiple states’ recent struggles with increased migration may also shift voter attitudes. Historically, immigration has never been a concern for Massachusetts voters, routinely receiving around 2% of votes for “most important issue” in polls. By August of this year, however, it was getting 10% of the votes, according to the MassINC Polling Group. It was the fourth most important issue for voters, behind housing, cost of living, and the economy. President Biden’s approval ratings among Massachusetts voters also decreased, with only 46% approving of his performance. Country-wide, the numbers are lower: 38% approve of Biden, according to FiveThirtyEight. While this may concern members of Biden’s re-election campaign, it’s far too early to tell how Biden would fare against a Republican challenger like Trump. The irony is that Biden is moving closer to Trump on immigration policy, entertaining the reinstatement of measures that Trump himself initiated. Meanwhile, even Democratic strongholds like Massachusetts are lobbying the Biden administration to take some kind of action. At the beginning of the month, all nine members of the Massachusetts US House and Senate delegation sent a letter to Biden requesting more federal funding to support the state’s shelter system, repeating the calls Governor Maura Healey has been making for months.

Healey’s cap on the emergency shelter system remains in place, but more individuals and families continue to arrive, and the waitlist continues to fill up. Some temporary shelters will be opened in North Central Massachusetts through the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and lawmakers are apparently still debating whether to use Hynes Convention Center as another location to house families. There is little doubt that this issue will continue to dominate the headlines in Massachusetts, and in the rest of the country, well into the new year. The question is whether all the attention will result in changes to immigration policy, or whether, as has been the case over the past two decades, reforms will stall in the highest chambers of government once again.