Below please find a statement from Georgia Katsoulomitis, executive director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), regarding a new survey commissioned by The Boston Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, King Boston, Amplify Latinx, BECMA, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, The Bridgewater State University Foundation, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and individual contributors and conducted by MassInc Polling Group released today that found that 70 percent of Massachusetts residents support making benefits available to all furloughed and laid off workers regardless of their immigration status:

• Immigrant communities in Massachusetts and nationally have suffered disproportionately because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Black and Brown individuals and families across the Commonwealth, many of whom are immigrants and essential workers during this crisis, have experienced higher rates of illness and death, and a far greater economic devastation and turmoil because of the pandemic. Ensuring that they have access to benefits is not only sound public policy but is also the moral thing to do.
• It is encouraging to see that a strong majority of Massachusetts residents recognize that immigrant communities must have access to these benefits. The people who live in the Commonwealth truly believe in the concept of common wealth and collective prosperity, as this survey shows. Thank you to these civic and philanthropic organizations for this report and for their leadership on these issues. We look forward to working with policymakers, our advocacy partners and immigrant communities across Massachusetts to ensure that our immigrant neighbors receive the benefits that will stabilize neighborhoods and allow them to prosper.

If you are interested in speaking with Georgia Katsoulomitis, please contact Suzanne Morse at suzanne@sevenletter.com or by phone at 617-646-1020.

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About the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nonprofit poverty law and policy center. It provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. MLRI advances its mission through legal initiatives and policy reforms that address the root causes of poverty, remove barriers to opportunity, and create a path to economic stability for low-income individuals, families, and communities. For more information, please visit www.mlri.org or follow us on Twitter (@MassLawReform) and Facebook.