A new report finds that more than 450,000 Massachusetts residents have limited English proficiency.
The Boston Herald reported that the situation “presents another challenge for an economy as many taxpayers continue to lose many taxpayers to other states with lower taxes and lower costs of living.”
That report, An estimated 480,000 residents have limited English proficiency (LEP), according to a report released Wednesday by MassInc and UMass Donahue. This represents approximately 10% of the state’s workforce. Considering that this data is derived from 2022 Census estimates, there is likely to be an underestimation.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home would be turned into an immigration facility. (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg, Getty Images/Google Maps/Screenshot)
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The report urges state officials to admit increasing numbers of immigrants who can “reach their full potential and contribute to the social and economic vitality of the Commonwealth.” Additionally, the report states that if state officials moved LEP skills up one level, it could generate $3 billion in additional annual revenue for the local economy.
Therefore, due to the influx of immigrants, there is an urgent need to expand the coverage of English as Other Languages (ESOL) services.
Immigrant Alex St. Louis takes clothes out of his suitcase after setting up a makeshift bed for his family at Boston’s Logan Airport on May 23. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“Nearly two decades later, additional investments to increase ESOL access are more important than ever,” the report states. “While Massachusetts has developed many innovative models to deliver these services, state and federal ESOL spending has not kept pace.” Get on the pace of ESOL growth.
After the report is released Governor Maura Healey announced On Tuesday, new restrictions stipulated that Massachusetts families must be prioritized for services.
The restrictions come amid a growing influx of immigrants, which is taxing the state’s homeless shelter system.
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The report comes after Gov. Maura Healey announced new restrictions on Tuesday that will require Massachusetts families to be prioritized for services. (Photographer: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Our administration has taken significant action over the past year to make the system more sustainable and help families leave shelters and find stable housing,” said Governor Healey. “But as Congress continues to fail to take action on immigration reform, Action, we need to make more changes.
Healey announced last month that she had sent members of her administration to the Texas border, citing “record” numbers of migrants heading to Boston.
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Officials will connect with federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and immigrant families “to educate them about the lack of housing in Massachusetts.”
Many Democratic-run states and cities have struggled to cope with the influx of immigrants they are seeing. Several mayors are urging the Biden administration to provide them with more federal funds and speed up the issuance of work permits to help immigrants find jobs faster and rely less on social services.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
