Massachusetts: A Case Study in Mass Immigration and the Welfare State

More than six million new migrants have arrived in the country since January 2021 outside of established lawful immigration programs, including illegal border crossers allowed to enter after apprehension, inadmissible aliens allowed to fly from abroad under controversial parole programs, and illegal aliens who evaded detection (the so-called “gotaways”). Together with New York, Texas, Florida, California, and Illinois, Massachusetts has emerged as one of the top destinations for illegal immigrants in recent years, according to government records on immigration court filings and academic research. As in other destination states, this influx presents a serious challenge to Massachusetts. While many lawmakers, including the state's current governor, Maura Healey, have long embraced sanctuary policies that guarantee access to housing, welfare programs, health coverage, and other benefits regardless of immigration status, some are now raising concerns about the cost to taxpayers. This report examines the fiscal impacts of historic levels of unlawful immigration in Massachusetts as one example of a sanctuary state, and recommends ways to mitigate the cost to taxpayers by reversing many of those policies before even more substantial costs begin to accrue in the coming years.

The cost to Massachusetts taxpayers of temporary housing and shelters is enormous, but it pales in comparison to the costs that will accumulate in the future if those in the temporary shelters today remain in the Commonwealth for the long term.
Taxpayers in Massachusetts have spent more than $1 billion to date on the emergency shelter system that has been overwhelmed with the task of housing thousands of newly arrived migrants, some who entered illegally and some who arrived under one of the Biden administration’s controversial parole programs. State budget officials expect they will have to spend another $1.8 trillion in the next two years.

It’s not clear where the funding to cover the shelter and other costs will come from, but Healey frequently expresses her strong hope that the federal government will soon help replenish the state coffers with funds recently appropriated by Congress for the federal emergency shelter program run by FEMA.

Federal funding may bail out the Bay State in the short term, but the unprecedented influx of migrants engineered by the Biden administration will prove to be a significant burden for Massachusetts taxpayers over the long run. The cost of temporary housing and shelters is enormous — but it pales in comparison to the costs that will accumulate in the future if those in the temporary shelters today remain in the Commonwealth for the long term. These long-term costs include schooling, social services, medical care, public safety, and more. These costs will accrue even if these migrants are able to find jobs, whether with a work permit or through illicit employment. Our research shows that immigrants generally have high labor force participation rates, but because most of the new arrivals lack the education or skills needed for an individual or family to be self-sufficient in Massachusetts, they will continue to access the state’s generous social safety net, much of which is available even to illegal immigrants who settle in the state.

This report identifies the most significant long-term fiscal impacts of the recent influx of illegal and quasi-legal immigration in Massachusetts. These include costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, public education, health care and health insurance, and public safety.

 Among the findings:

The number of illegal and inadmissible migrants living in Massachusetts is about 355,000, with about 50,000 new arrivals since 2021.

Illegal and inadmissible migrants are eligible for certain welfare programs in Massachusetts, despite federal bars on access to certain programs.

A significant share of migrants settling in Massachusetts who entered under Biden parole programs, including Ukrainians, Haitians, and children, may be eligible for welfare programs upon arrival.

Other parolees may become eligible for welfare programs five years after entry, regardless of whether they ever attain legal status. This cohort represents a potential fiscal time bomb in terms of welfare costs, beginning in 2026. The additional annual cost for SNAP benefits alone just for the parolees in Massachusetts could be $4.6 million.

An estimated 10,000 migrant children have arrived in Massachusetts since 2021, including 8,500 unaccompanied minors.

Everyone in Massachusetts has access to at least a basic version of government-subsidized or government-paid healthcare, regardless of immigration status. The legislature is considering a bill to expand this program to cover more health services for illegal immigrants.

The cost of incarcerating illegal alien criminals in Massachusetts now exceeds $27 million per year. This cost is exacerbated by sanctuary policies that shield criminal aliens from detection and by Biden administration policies that have reduced interior enforcement efforts.

State lawmakers could reduce the burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers by limiting access to welfare benefits, deterring and sanctioning employers who hire illegal workers, reversing sanctuary policies that obstruct immigration enforcement, and tapping into remittances migrants send abroad.

https://cis.org/Report/Massachusetts-Case-Study-Mass-Immigration-and-Welfare-State

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