President Joe Biden's administration may soon approve a request from Massachusetts to use Medicaid funds to house immigrants, Axios reported Thursday.
Massachusetts aims to provide up to six months of housing assistance and other assistance to immigrant families and expectant mothers through Medicaid. according to To Axios. A spokeswoman for Massachusetts Health Services told the agency that housing plans and other changes the state is seeking to make to its Medicaid program are expected to result in $2 billion in federal reimbursement. (Related: Exclusive: Border Patrol agents arrest 5-time deportee gang member with criminal history spanning decades)
Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey met with officials at the White House last week to discuss the waiver request, a spokesperson for Healey told Axios.
Healey is trying to ease pressure on the state's emergency shelters, which are filling up with the influx of migrants. according to In the Boston Herald. Some immigrant families unable to secure shelter are sleeping at Boston's Logan Airport.
On December 5, 2023, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (left) and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu greet US President Joe Biden as he disembarks from Air Force One at Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Like other states, the commonwealth has recently faced an influx of immigrants, including recent arrivals with immigrant status eligible for full Medicaid benefits,” Massachusetts said in a statement. request to the Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in October 2023.
Illegal immigration has surged under the Biden administration, with millions of people arriving at the southern border starting in 2021.
Border Patrol encountered approximately 1.6 million migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2021. according to to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. In 2023, more than 2 million migrants were encountered.
CBP has encountered more than 750,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border since the beginning of fiscal year 2024, according to federal data.
Former President Donald Trump and Biden headed to the southern border Thursday to address the ongoing immigration crisis. Mr. Biden will head to Brownsville, Texas, and Mr. Trump will visit Eagle Pass, Texas.
Healey and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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