Trump Immigration Policies Threaten Thousands In MA: Report

More than 12,000 Massachusetts residents with Temporary Protected Status may be forced out of the country, one of several negative impacts the Trump administration's immigration policies could have on the Bay State, according to a new report.

The Boston Foundation and the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund released Thursday a report called "The Growing Wave of Federal Immigration Restrictions: What’s at Stake for Massachusetts?" It highlights the people across the Commonwealth who could be directly impacted by what it called the administration's "stretched ... interpretation of immigration law."

The residents with TPS status are largely from El Salvador and Haiti. The report said that if their status expires, it not only could tear families apart, but have a negative impact on the state's economy by removing taxpayers.

" If TPS designations do expire, this will have a measurable, negative impact on the U.S. economy and the Massachusetts economy," the report said

The report also said only about a third of 17,000-plus people in Massachusetts eligible for the DACA program have applied for and received it, leaving some 11,000 unable in limbo because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped accepting new applicants.

The most recent available data shows that after Massachusetts settled nearly 2,000 refugees in FY14, the number was cut by almost 60 percent during the first year of the Trump administration. More recent numbers were not available during the administration, according to the report.

"Nevertheless, Massachusetts is a state that welcomes refugees and provides services to help resettle refugee families," the report said.

The report also said that as of 2015, 510,000 people living in Massachusetts lived in family comprised of at least one noncitizen in which the family received food, health or housing benefits. Those people, including 160,000 children, could unenroll from or forgo the benefits due to policy changes that would put their status in danger.

The group's efforts to protect immigrants includes pushing for anyone who graduates from a Massachusetts high school to be eligible for in-state tuition for state colleges.

The report also suggests allowing all children, regardless of immigration status, eligible for MassHealth.

It also said there should be a system for IDs and driver's licenses for all, regardless of immigration status. The report said a Boston study of a municipal ID program would result in between 257,000 and 347,000 active users.

Read the full report here.