President Joe Biden‘s administration is considering a request from Massachusetts to use Medicaid funds to provide housing assistance and support for immigrant families and pregnant mothers.
This request, if approved, would allow Massachusetts to offer up to six months of housing assistance and other services for immigrants through Medicaid, potentially resulting in $2 billion in federal reimbursements. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey recently met with White House officials to discuss the waiver request.
The state aims to relieve pressure on emergency shelters that are currently at capacity due to an increase in migrants, some of whom have resorted to sleeping at Boston’s Logan Airport.
Massachusetts submitted the request to the Biden administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) in October 2023, citing a recent influx of immigrants, including those with immigration status eligible for full Medicaid benefits.
Under the Biden administration, illegal immigration has seen a significant increase, with millions of migrants entering the southern border since 2021.
In fiscal year 2021, Border Patrol encountered approximately 1.6 million migrants at the southern border, a number that surpassed 2 million in fiscal year 2023. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2024, CBP has encountered over 750,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border.
Former President Donald Trump and President Biden are both visiting the southern border on Thursday to address the ongoing immigration crisis. Biden is traveling to Brownsville, Texas, while Trump is visiting Eagle Pass, Texas.
