Thread: Federal immigration actions to negatively impact key swaths of Mass. economy Health c

Federal immigration actions to negatively impact key swaths of Mass. economy
Health care, life sciences and construction could bear brunt

Avery Bleichfeld



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Kimberly Goulart, senior research analyst at Boston Indicators, presents a new report about anticipated economic impacts of increased federal immigration enforcement efforts at a launch event, June 4. The report estimated that decreases in immigration in Massachusetts could result in an economic slowdown in the state. PHOTO: AVERY BLEICHFELD

Increased immigration enforcement could mean prominent economic effects in the Massachusetts economy, according to a new report released June 4.
Construction, health care, life sciences and technology fields are most likely to bear the brunt of those impacts, stated the report by Boston Indicators, the research arm of the Boston Foundation, and the MassINC Policy Center.
“While the future may be uncertain, there’s nothing uncertain about the vital contributions immigrants make every single day,” said Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, at the event launching the report.
Immigration enforcement changes under President Donald Trump have been extensive. The federal administration has implemented new fees on certain visas, limited student visas and increased immigration enforcement through expanded actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement..

As of 2024, nearly one-fifth of residents in Massachusetts are foreign born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and immigrants make up almost a quarter of the state’s workforce.
The new report estimated that in 2024, foreign-born heads of household had about $50.5 billion in spending power and those households contributed about $7.4 billion in state taxes and more than $23 billion in federal taxes.
With an aging population and low birth rate in Massachusetts, reduced immigration could mean an economic slowdown, the report suggested. The authors estimated that the state would need 29,000 immigrants annually to balance out members of the workforce retiring or moving out of state.
To address Massachusetts’ workforce needs, the report suggested bringing in roughly 64,000 immigrants annually, which would include nonworking children and family members.

But according to the report, the state saw about 40,000 new migrants in 2025. It estimates that that number could drop below 30,000 in 2026.
“In reality, we really need to be welcoming new immigrants rather than deterring them,” said Kimberly Goulart, one of the report authors.
In some sectors across the state, the proportion of foreign-born workers is especially high, which could mean increased impact in those fields.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, as of 2024 foreign-born workers made up 24% of the Massachusetts workforce overall, but in some sectors like construction that proportion is closer to 30%.

The report highlighted what it described as a “U-shaped” distribution of immigrant workers in the state, with a high proportion of foreign-born workers with a high school diploma or less and a high proportion with a master’s degree or higher but lower proportions of workers with some college or a bachelor’s degree.
That results in immigrant workers being concentrated in some of the industries that are most prominent in the Massachusetts economy, like the life sciences and medical fields, as well as some of those that are essential to everyday operations, like construction and frontline health care roles.
Already the frontline health care sector — jobs like home health care workers, certified nursing assistants, housekeeping staff and nurses — is facing staffing shortages. According to the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, nursing facilities in the state already face vacancy rates in direct care roles of around 13%.
Federal changes could exacerbate shortages. For example, efforts from the Trump administration to revoke the Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants could impact around 2,000 frontline workers, the report found. That immigration designation allows migrants from certain countries experiencing emergency conditions like armed conflict or an environmental disaster to live and work in the United States.

In June 2025, the Trump administration said it intended to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants. The decision was challenged in federal court, where a judge blocked the administration’s move. In March, the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the status; the justices have yet to hand down a decision.
Federal immigration actions have also deeply affected the construction industry. According to interviews included in the report, increased enforcement by ICE has spurred growing concern among immigrant workers in the sector, including those who have valid temporary, resident or working documentation. Even rumors of ICE activity near worksites can cause workers to stop showing up, the report found.
Instability in the construction workforce can impact the development of housing in the state, something that state and local officials have identified as a priority. According to the report, one general contractor interviewed said that replacing a subcontractor mid-project often costs at least 10% more than the original construction amount.
In the construction industry, many of the teams that include immigrant workers have developed high levels of efficiency and experience in their work — a key piece of the industry’s success, said Tom O’Brien, CEO of local developer HYM Investment Group. Losing that efficiency can mean slower processes and higher costs, he said.

“There’s a population of people who have developed that efficiency and we’re losing that group,” he said during a panel with industry leaders at the launch event.
On the opposite end of the U-shaped distribution, more highly educated workers have faced their own restrictions. In September 2025 the Trump administration added a $100,000 fee on new applications for H-1B visas, which allow employers to sponsor highly skilled workers in fields like life sciences, engineering, health care and technology. Previously, filing fees for the visa would add up to about $5,000.
That policy was struck down June 8 by a federal judge in Massachusetts District Court. In his ruling, Judge Leo Sorokin said the fee amounted to an unlawful tax that overstepped Congress’ authority. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling.
The Trump administration’s fee had presented concerns for life science representatives who were interviewed for the Boston Indicators report. They said it could present financial challenges for smaller companies and add to a challenging landscape as the federal administration cuts grants and funding through the National Institutes of Health.

The report found that employers have not been broadly avoiding immigrant workers but have been more selective or creating plans to staff satellite offices abroad. That self-restricting could be compounded by increased denials by the federal government.
In Trump’s first term, his administration was five times more likely to deny H-1B applicants compared to the administration of Barack Obama or Joe Biden, the report found.
Industry leaders in some of the impacted fields said there need to be collaborative efforts and increased communication about the impact of losing immigrant workers in sectors across the state to help foster support.
Tara Gregorio, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, said she believes that telling the stories of what a loss of immigrant workers means on the ground will help increase support.

“These are the ramifications that directly impact us and the families and citizens of our nation and the commonwealth,” she said during the industry panel. “I also think that as businesspeople become more engaged in looking at the dollars and cents of business, and they feel it in their pocketbooks…there’ll be even more opportunity to galvanize more loudly some of the business community.”
That kind of storytelling can build on data like what’s in the new report, Gregorio said.
Other efforts, too, from the business community are looking to support immigrant workers. O’Brien said that he, alongside panel moderator and Eastern Bank Foundation Fellow Eva Millona, restarted a business council during the first Trump administration. That group was assembled to find practical solutions to some of the immigration challenges put in place then. That business council has been reconvened to address some of the new challenges, O’Brien said.
But, across the board, solutions will require collaboration, O’Brien said.

“The key is for all of us to work together,” he said. “Strength in numbers is key.”

Federal immigration actions to negatively impact key swaths of Mass. economy – The Bay State Banner

Bummer: Going After Illegals Causing Great Hardship To Mass. Economy

By William Teach June 11, 2026 – 7:00 am

If you’ve designed your economy to not be able to run correctly without illegal aliens and fake asylum seekers (getting paid cheap wages), and foreigners on visas taking jobs from Americans, you’ve done something wrong and stupid

Federal immigration actions to negatively impact key swaths of Mass. economy
Increased immigration enforcement could mean prominent economic effects in the Massachusetts economy, according to a new report released June 4.
Construction, health care, life sciences and technology fields are most likely to bear the brunt of those impacts, stated the report by Boston Indicators, the research arm of the Boston Foundation, and the MassINC Policy Center.
“While the future may be uncertain, there’s nothing uncertain about the vital contributions immigrants make every single day,” said Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, at the event launching the report.
Immigration enforcement changes under President Donald Trump have been extensive. The federal administration has implemented new fees on certain visas, limited student visas and increased immigration enforcement through expanded actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Did no one sit back and say “hey, this might not be the best idea?”

As of 2024, nearly one-fifth of residents in Massachusetts are foreign born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and immigrants make up almost a quarter of the state’s workforce.

Well, you know, mostly Democrats, with the help of some Squish Republicans, created a situation, not realizing that this would not last forever. Oh, well.

Bummer: Going After Illegals Causing Great Hardship To Mass. Economy » Pirate's Cove