Immigration in Boston is changing. A report from the Boston Foundation and the Immigration Research Initiative published in February found that the most common places of origin and settlement for immigrants in Boston have shifted significantly in recent years. In 1990, the most common country of origin for Greater Boston’s foreign-born population was Canada. Six of the top ten countries were in Europe. By 2021, Canada and European countries weren’t even in the top ten – China, the Dominican Republic, and India led the way.
Even more interesting is the comparison of Boston’s immigrant population with the immigrant population of the country more generally. Researchers noted that Greater Boston has a “different makeup” than the country as a whole, with a “more diverse global spread.” There are substantial populations of Cape Verdean, Cambodian, Brazilian, and Haitian immigrants compared to the rest of the nation. Where immigrants are settling is changing as well.
Places like Revere, Boxborough, Marlborough, and Brockton, all communities farther away from the “urban core,” saw significant growth from 2011 to 2021, much more than Cambridge, Somerville, and Chelsea. Researchers attribute this to “skyrocketing” housing costs, which have pushed new immigrant families to “farther flung parts of the region.” The surge in migration to Massachusetts over the last year has also strained the state’s emergency shelter system, and given the difficulty of finding shelter space in Boston itself, it’s unsurprising that people are looking to other parts of the state to live.
The Boston shelter system continues to be a point of contention for residents and politicians. Governor Maura Healey announced at the end of March that the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, currently vacant and previously scheduled for demolition, would be converted into a facility to house up to 100 migrant families. Some Chelsea residents protested this decision online, even though the facility was initially closed in December last year because a larger veterans’ facility opened at Powder Horn Hill. There is enough space for both immigrants and veterans.
Similarly, a temporary shelter that opened in Roxbury at the end of January caused some controversy. According to Boston.com, residents thought the site was “unfair” and that the neighborhood “is already overburdened and under-resourced, and the plan will disrupt vital programs residents rely on.” The plan was unpopular enough that even Mayor Michelle Wu expressed frustration on behalf of the residents: “For the first community where this is being proposed to be Roxbury, a community that over so many decades has faced disinvestment, redlining, and disproportionate outcomes, it’s very painful.”
But the shelter was clearly badly needed. Just a week after it opened, it was already approaching capacity. The state plans to close the shelter by May 31, but it’s unclear what will happen to the families living there if no more spaces are made available. The uncertainty around the state’s plans is familiar. Multiple venues have been floated as potential emergency shelters, and some shelters have been organized without community input. At the beginning of march, the state announced emergency housing at a building in the Fort Point neighborhood. City Councilor Ed Flynn criticized the plans, telling NBC10 Boston that “the process and the community process itself were lousy…there was no resident or community input.”
Migration to Boston over the last year has obviously caused logistical issues and friction among residents. But it’s important to remember that the city’s immigrants are part of what makes the city socially and economically successful. The Boston Foundation report noted that about six in ten foreign-born residents in Boston work middle- or upper-wage jobs, and that immigrants are more likely than native-born individuals to start businesses. Immigrants represent 28% of all business owners in Boston and 40% of “Main Street businesses.” Boston University economist Tarek Hassan recently published studies showing that immigrants help fuel local economies, “sparking innovation and driving up wages.” He also showed that when we live near people from other countries, our views can shift, “decreasing hostility and prejudice while boosting empathy and knowledge.”
Federally, the Biden administration has taken action to ensure that new immigrants will be able to obtain work authorizations more easily to begin contributing to the economy and supporting themselves. The administration announced on April 4 that it will extend the eligibility of work permit renewals to 540 days for people currently waiting for authorization. This rule will benefit up to 800,000 people nationally, and will aid those who applied for work permits on or after October 27, 2023. The rule will remain in place until 2027. More generally, processing times for employment authorization, naturalization, and other forms and documents are significantly lower in 2024 than in previous years.
As the state works out the difficulties around its shelter system, and the country grapples with immigration reform debates, immigrants and Boston residents alike may continue to experience frustrations or problems. If the trend of increase in immigration to Massachusetts continues for the next few months or years, it will be important for residents to work together with their community leaders to handle immigration practically and empathetically. Boston, the birthplace of the American Revolution, has always been a safe place for immigrants. This will hopefully remain the same, even as our population continues to grow and change.
