Gov. Patrick seeking ways to better integrate immigrants

July 9, 2008 04:39 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today signed an executive order calling for a series of public meetings over the next year to find ways to better integrate immigrants into Massachusetts at a time when their population is booming.

The "New Americans Initiative," modeled after a similar approach in Illinois, calls on the governor's Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants and the state's largest advocacy group, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, to hold meetings across the state and draft a report with policy recommendations by July 1, 2009. The Illinois effort led to expanded English classes and other services.

“Massachusetts is and has always been a Commonwealth of immigrants,” said Patrick, who is expected to speak publicly on the issue tomorrow at a naturalization ceremony in Faneuil Hall. “We must work together toward a shared vision of a brighter future for all residents. Although immigration reform and enforcement is a federal issue, today’s reality is that states can and must find creative ways to better integrate immigrant and refugee populations through more coordinated services, including English language classes, job training and citizenship assistance.”

Patrick's move comes at a time when immigrants' influence on Massachusetts' workforce, population and schools is at its highest since the 1950s. About 14 percent of the state's residents are immigrants, and their presence in the workforce has doubled since 1980 to 17 percent. But they face serious challenges: More than 20 percent aren't fluent in English and 71 percent are considered ill-prepared for the state's changing economy.

Massachusetts officials expect wide-ranging testimony at the public meetings, touching on everything from the hurdles that immigrants face as they assimilate and find jobs, to the impact that the changing demographics is having on cities and towns. Patrick's order does not directly address the heated topic of illegal immigration, but a top official said it is expected to come up. Of the 907,000 immigrants here, about 175,000 are undocumented.

"This is the Massachusetts plan of how we are going to integrate our newcomers into our economies and into our communities," said Richard Chacon, director of the state's Office for Refugees and Immigrants. "We need to have a plan that not only is going to appreciate what they mean for us, but also can better integrate them through English-language training and job training so they can have the kinds of skills that our workforce needs."

The Massachusetts initiative reflects the starkly different approaches that individual states are taking toward immigrants across the nation. Illinois and Rhode Island -- which have similar percentages of foreign-born residents as the Bay State -- are examples of the contrast.

In Illinois, the governor issued a 2005 executive order launching an initiative that led to efforts to better integrate immigrants into that state.

But in neighboring Rhode Island, Governor Donald Carcieri recently signed an executive order targeting illegal immigrants, demanding that the State Police, prisons, and other agencies help the federal government crack down on illegal immigration.

"States are not pursuing a one-size-fits-all solution," said Dirk Hegen, a policy associate at the Washington-based National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks state legislation nationwide. "States have different economies, different populations, different demographics, and most of all different histories in receiving newcomers. They come up with their own solutions."