Romney Discusses Immigration Issues, Names New State Official
By Cyndi Roy for the State House News Service
       While border states like California and Arizona struggle to combat illegal immigration, Massachusetts should encourage more legal foreigners to settle here by providing them with the tools to live successfully, Gov. Mitt Romney said Tuesday.
       At a press conference to introduce Pierre Imbert as the new director of the state Office of Refugees and Immigrants, Romney said Massachusetts does not have the same problems with illegal immigration that other states face. The challenge for Massachusetts is educating and training legal newcomers so they can contribute to the well being of the state, he said.
       “I’d like to see more legal immigrants come to Massachusetts, not less,” Romney said. “In terms of illegal immigration, I think it’s relative to
some other states. It’s not a major problem of the same scale in our state.
Our focus is instead on encouraging, in every way possible, legal immigration, refugees coming here, and supporting those people to become integrated in our society so that we can learn from them and they can become a vibrant part of our economy and of our society.”
        Imbert fled his native Haiti 22 years ago and has become a leader in
Boston’s Haitian community. He’s the former executive director of the Haitian Multi-Service Center in Dorchester and was recognized by the Boston Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1999 as one of Boston’s “Ten Outstanding Young Leaders.”
       As director, Imbert will oversee an office with of 20 employees and a
budget of $15 million. The office’s administers the federally funded Massachusetts refugee resettlement program, which includes case management, employment services, transitional cash, medical assistance, English language instruction, health screening and foster care for unaccompanied minors. The office also supports a network of refugee community organizations, refugee youth and elder services, and refugee citizenship assistance services.
       Assuming his new role, Imbert said newcomers to Massachusetts face a variety of challenges, including an unfamiliar economy that demands highly skilled and technically savvy workers. “They will need to adjust to this economy, and we have to advocate for the services and resources they need,” he said.
       Massachusetts has experienced a surge in immigrants over the last 15 years. Today, one out of every seven Bay State residents is from a foreign country, according to a June report from the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC). In 2004, immigrants accounted for 17 percent of the state’s labor force and, according to the report, are the principal source of new labor in Massachusetts.
       Massachusetts was the only state to lose population last year, according to the US Census Bureau. Had it not been for the influx of foreign-born residents, the state also would have lost residents in the previous four years, according to the MassINC report. The Census Bureau recently projected Massachusetts will remain totally dependent on immigrants for all of its population growth over the remainder of this decade.
       Given the state’s dependence on foreign-born workers, the need to provide adult basic education and English as a Second Language instruction is great. Currently, there are 25,000 people on the waitlist for instruction, state officials say.
       In his fiscal 2006 budget, Romney proposed spending $36 million for adult basic education, an $8 million increase from the previous year. The
Legislature approved $29.3 million. In an economic stimulus plan unveiled
last week, House leaders included an additional $6.5 million for adult
basic education programs.
       Despite the state’s reliance on immigrants as a source of labor, many still face anti-immigrant sentiment, said Nam Van Pham, office director from 1994 to 1998.
       “A lot of immigrants, especially during unstable economic conditions, are not as well liked,” he said. “A key challenge for [Imbert] will to combat
the image that newcomers just come here and take and take and take.”
       Some areas of immigration policy have become a controversial issue for state leaders as of late. Lawmakers have criticized Romney for opposing legislation that would allow children of illegal immigrants to attend a state college at lower in-state tuition rates. Romney opposes the bill because he says it rewards immigrants for coming here illegally. Asked how he views the issue, Imbert said it’s a matter for lawmakers and
Romney to work out.
       “My role as the director of the Office of Refugees and Immigrants is not to make policy here,” he said. I think it’s well-defined my primary
responsibility is to serve as the coordinator for the Office of Refugees
and Immigrants. We have a large legal immigration population on our hands to help on their feet and I think I’m going to leave it to the governor and the men and women of their positions to sort this through but obviously we do have a challenge on our hands.”
       Lawmakers attending the press conference said they are still working to pass the in-state tuition legislation, over Romney’s veto. “We’re working to make it veto-proof, make it Romney-proof,” said Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D-Dorchester). St. Fleur, also a Haitian immigrant, said some residents affected by the bill are those who need the services of the office.
       “The people they are called to help fall into this gap,” she said. Gathered at the press conference Tuesday were dozens of Imbert’s family members, friends, and colleagues. Former state Rep. James Brett, CEO of the New England Council, a regional business lobbying group, met Imbert when the Romney appointee worked in Dorchester.
       “He’s well-respected in the community, and he has the ability to help
people find consensus,” he said. “It’s a very good appointment.”
Imbert said a top goal is to make Massachusetts a welcoming place for
future immigrants.
        “When you look at all the various troubled spots in the world, you can rest assured that Massachusetts is going to be called up on to open its arms to refugees,” he said.