Committee Hearing Highlights Need to Restore Basic Benefits for Legally-Present Low-Income Immigrant Households
Boston, MA (Sep 12, 2023) – The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities heard testimony today on An Act Establishing Basic Needs Assistance for Massachusetts Immigrant Residents (H.135/S.76).
Sponsored by Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett), Rep. Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford), and Rep. Judith Garcia (D-Chelsea), the bill would restore basic food benefits and basic cash benefits for low-income, legally present immigrants who are struggling to meet their basic needs as they settle in the Commonwealth and seek to contribute to the economy. This legislation is an important component of sustainable and effective support of our immigrant and refugee neighbors, who contribute immensely to our Commonwealth’s growth and prosperity. This bill would have an enormous return on investment not only in our economic and job growth but also in helping families remain out of or exit our Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter system.
We must ensure that all our neighbors in the Commonwealth have access to state benefits, including the ability to put food on their tables” said State Senator Sal DiDomenico. “These bills push us toward a higher standard not only for Massachusetts, but for the entire country when it comes to assisting legal immigrants.”
"H.135, also known as the Feeding Our Neighbors bill, seeks to restore SNAP food benefits and TAFDC cash benefits to low-income, legally-present immigrants and their families in Massachusetts, who otherwise fall through the cracks in our federal social service network.” said Chairman Antonio Cabral,(D-New Bedford) “I led this fight in 1997 and I gladly do so again now. No child or essential worker in Massachusetts should go hungry. Massachusetts has shown tremendous leadership in addressing food insecurity and serving immigrant families, which is why I am confident H.135 will receive a favorable report from the Committee.
“Nutrition is not a luxury, it is a necessity that should not be denied based on one’s immigration status”.said Rep Judith Garcia. “Feeding Our Neighbors aims to restore some of the resources that immigrant families used to have and that never should have been taken away. Co-leading this bill was an easy decision, and Massachusetts will be healthier, happier, and more just once it passes.”
“Children should not go to sleep hungry.” said Gladys Vega of La Colaborativa, whose food pantry feeds around 7,000 people a week but is feeling the pinch of inflation. “I missed a lot of food when I was young…my mother tried, but we were just extremely poor. We have to do better for our society and for our children.”
Estela, a widow who fled gang violence in Columbia with her two children, spoke about being unable to access SNAP, despite having a pending application for humanitarian parole and political asylum. “I felt I was being discriminated against, because everyone else was getting [food stamps], but I wasn’t getting them,” Estela said. “All I want to do is feed my kids and give them a good future.”
“As an immigrant and a physician in the Commonwealth, I understand the intimate relationship between access to food and one’s overall health,” said Dr. Claire Cecile Pierre, Vice President of Community Health Programs at Mass General Brigham.”As we do our best to treat immigrants who bravely risked their lives to come to this country, I remain heartbroken by the number of our staff who still report seeing kids who are malnourished or people who skip doses of their medications because they didn't have access to a meal. This legislation will restore access to basic nutrition and benefits for immigrants in need, providing them with life-sustaining services, and I urge the Massachusetts Legislature to support this bill.”
“Decades of research have shown that food insecurity is associated with poor health outcomes and increased healthcare expenditures, whereas receiving SNAP is effective in improving health, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting educational success,” said Richard Sheward, the Director of System Implementation Strategies at Children’s HealthWatch and Boston Medical Center. “Our research at Children’s HealthWatch found that terminating or reducing cash assistance benefits is associated with increased child hospitalizations, maternal depression, and food insecurity.”
Over 25 years ago, the 1996 Welfare Reform Law eliminated core food and cash assistance benefits to thousands of legally present immigrants across the nation -- including victims of violence, “Dreamers,” immigrants with pending asylum, and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status. In 1997, the Massachusetts Legislature authorized basic cash and food assistance for low-income immigrants, but the benefits ended in 2002.
The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition, which includes over 70 organizations from across the state, formed in 2022 to restore these crucial benefits. Massachusetts would be the sixth state in the nation to provide state-funded benefits to eligible immigrants, following California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota and Washington State.
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The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition is led by La Colaborativa and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
La Colaborativa empowers Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and its people; and to hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community.
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities.
Media Contacts:
Pat Baker, MLRI, pbaker@mlri.org 617/357-0700 x 328
Allie Girouard, MLRI, agirourad@mlri.org