Report: Trump’s immigration policies a local threat

The Trump administration’s ever-tightening immigration rules are putting the lives and livelihoods of thousands of local residents in danger and threatening the social cohesion and economic well-being of local communities, according to a new report by the Boston Foundation and the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund.

More than 12,000 Massachusetts residents with Temporary Protected Status could be forced to leave the country because of President Trump’s policies, breaking apart families and depriving towns of homeowners and taxpayers, said the 32-page report, “The Growing Wave of Federal Immigration Restrictions: What’s at Stake for Massachusetts?”

New restrictions have a “chilling effect” on many immigrants, instilling fears that can lead them to avoid seeking government benefits. “People are chilled out of accessing programs for the public good that really are essential for all the children in our communities,” said Iris Gomez, senior staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and co-editor of the report. Read more in the Boston Globe.