Massachusetts
Dr. Ridiane Denis helps Haitian migrants prepare for new lives and jobs in Massachusetts
BOSTON – Dr. Ridiane Denis doesn’t hesitate when asked what she wants people to know about the Haitian migrants looking for work in Massachusetts. “I want them to know they are hard workers,” Denis said.
With thousands of Haitian people moving into Massachusetts and migrant shelters filling up, she felt compelled to help. The idea for a volunteer-led job training program came to her in a brainstorming session at her kitchen table with her partner, Guichard Rodriguez. In 2023, she founded the non-profit Massachusetts Integrative Resources. The word integrate, she says, is central to the group’s mission. “If you’re from somewhere else, you want to be integrated,” she said. Once she established MAIR, she put out the word that she was ready to begin training migrants for direct support personnel positions-jobs in group homes, day programs, and assisting the elderly.
Dr. Denis is Director of Clinical Research and Operations, General Clinical Research Unit (GCRU) at Boston University Medical Campus. (She is also a mother of four sons who is only half-joking when she says she works 30 hours a day.) With volunteers ready to help and migrants eager to learn, all she needed was a training space. That quest led her to Waltham and a kindred spirit in Gabriel Vonleh, CEO of Opportunities for Inclusion.
“They believe in the American dream. So, let’s make it happen for them!” Gabriel said smiling. “This was our way to give back to people who were not looking for handouts.” He says, when Dr. Denis approached him about using space in the building, he was happy to oblige. “This was a no-brainer.”
Opportunities for Inclusion serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Its Waltham building is bustling Monday through Friday. But there was plenty of free space on weekends. Dr. Denis’ Saturday training sessions began in October. The first week, there were 13 students. The following week attendance more than doubled. Students were excited for the training, even if getting to Waltham was a challenge. Some came from as far away as Brockton and left as early as 4:30 a.m. to arrive in Waltham on time. On more than one occasion, Dr. Denis and Guichard rented vans at their own expense to transport migrants to and from the training sessions. “They make me want to help them because they want it so much,” she explains. “They are my motivation.”
CBS Boston
She understands their determination. Dr. Denis was born in Boston but spent her young life in Haiti. At 11, she moved to Massachusetts permanently but continued to visit relatives in Haiti. The Haiti of her childhood, she says wistfully, was a paradise. “The Haiti I know is not there right now. I hope that one day it is,” she said. The migrants fleeing Haiti believe they can build a better life here.
Her goal is to help Haitian migrants become independent and contribute to their new home country. For four weeks, she split the day’s training-and the class itself–into two parts. All students received the same material. Students who needed extra language support got it. The first part of the day focused on life skills-taking public transportation, using an ATM, and dressing for New England winters. They practiced conversational English. For the second half of the day, they focused on clinical training. Medical terminology and word usage (“I have an ache. I have a headache. I have a runny nose.”) how to use medical equipment and-most importantly-CPR.
Dr. Denis could feel the students’ excitement as they learned because, she says, they knew what acquiring the skills could mean for their future. “We weren’t even done with the training, and they were already asking, ‘What other certification can we get? We want to grow. We want more.’” The migrants who joined the program came from all walks of life. Most fled Haiti because of the violence and instability. Many left behind family members and careers. Some were nurses and medical technicians in Haiti. Guirlande Lubin was an administrative secretary with USAID. She says she left Haiti to save her own life. “Haiti is too dangerous. Too many gangs,” she explained with the interpretive help of fellow migrant Claudel Esteve. She moved to Massachusetts to live with her sister and nieces and found a supportive community in MAIR’s training program. She also found a job.
Once the four-week session was over, Gabriel gave the students three-day internships and hired two of the graduates. Guirlande is one of them. “We had to lead by example,” he explains. “It’s one thing to give the training. But after the training, if there’s no opportunity, the training means nothing. So, it was very important to our organization to open our space but also to provide employment opportunities. It made it real. And it also sends a message to other people out in the Commonwealth to really… Come on, come on! We can do this as one big Commonwealth!”
In all, Gabriel has hired five migrants at Opportunities for Inclusion. He says they are exceptional workers-dedicated, committed and compassionate. Claudel, who was a law student in Haiti, calls the facility his “second home.” He likes the clients, his co-workers, and the work. He says it fills him with a sense of purpose. He sends part of every paycheck back to Haiti for his mother, father, and sister. He also sends them videos and prays that, one day, they will also be able to live in the United States. “Every day I take in this country I am happy,” he said.
For most of the past year, the number of Massachusetts job openings has moved between roughly 225,000 and 260,000. Many of those openings have proven difficult to fill. Gabriel points to the migrant population as part of the solution. “This is not a migrant crisis. This is a migrant opportunity,” Gabriel said. “We need to look at it from a different perspective.”
Dr. Denis agrees. She applauds state efforts to expedite working papers (including clinics designed to fast-track processing times) but says the typical months-long wait is discouraging for migrants who want to provide for themselves. “I think if we can-in any way, shape, or form-integrate them into the work force as quickly as possible, I think definitely we would see a change. The shelters won’t be as overwhelmed. The system won’t be as stressed,” Dr. Denis said.
Many of the migrants who became certified in her first training session are still looking for work. Dr. Denis and her volunteers keep in touch with them-leading conversational English discussions and job search sessions on Zoom. Right now, she has 42 migrants on a waiting list for the next session and is looking for a new training space. Much as she appreciated the Waltham space, she is looking for something more centrally located. She says it doesn’t have to be fancy. “Just a room with chairs and tables. That’s all,” she said.
Dr. Denis marvels at the migrants’ resilience. She believes in them and their ability to succeed. A year from now she hopes to have trained thousands of migrants who drive past her in their own cars on their way to their homes. “Seeing them providing for their family. Seeing a smile on their faces when they get that first paycheck. Getting a call saying thank you. That’s what makes it worth it for me,” she said.
There were many thank yous during the graduation ceremony. Their gratitude was humbling. “Very humbling to see that I could actually make a difference-or try to make a difference-in somebody’s life.” Dr. Denis continued, “Even if it’s a drop in the bucket, it makes me feel like I’m helping. That’s the most important thing for me.”
For more information about Massachusetts Integrative Resources visit mairconnect.org
Gov. Maura Healey is right.
Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state.
It just acts like one. It’s instead a sort of haven, or heaven, for immigrants, illegal or otherwise, who have flocked here seeking refuge and welfare.
Just don’t call it a sanctuary.
“We are not a sanctuary state,” Healey said following raids by President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan, and ICE last week in which some 370 wanted “illegal aliens” –including drug dealers, gun runners, murderers and rapists—were rounded up in Boston and across the state.
The newcomers to Massachusetts, with good reason, apparently thought otherwise.
And why not? Under Healey the state is spending billions of taxpayer dollars for the caring of the influx of immigrants from around the world who have sought sanctuary, or refuge, in the state. This includes free housing, food, medical care, cell phones, transportation, schooling and so on.
Only the other day Healey’s Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones told a State House committee hearing that Healey is seeking to spend $30 million to teach adult immigrants English under a program called English for Speakers of Other Languages.
The same committee is considering a companion bill creating a state funded Immigrant Legal Defense Fund that would provide lawyers for immigrants who face deportation, including those held in federal detention centers.
But Healey may have a point, shaky as it is. The state is not Boston, which with its Boston Trust Act which makes it a sanctuary city.
The act prohibits Boston cops from making arrests of illegal immigrants or holding them based on ICE immigration detainers. The cops are also prohibited from even asking people about their immigration status.
Even though the act does not apply to the state, a 2017 decision by the Supreme Judicial Court does apply by making Massachusetts a safe harbor for migrants wanted by ICE— or at least it did before Homan came to town.
The court held that the state court officers are not legally permitted to arrest or hold immigrants wanted by ICE on detainers. The ruling is interpreted to apply to all state and local law enforcement officials as well.
If that does not make Massachusetts a sanctuary state, then perhaps the loose interpretation, or outright ignoring, by the Healey administration of the state’s so-called “Right to Shelter” law, does.
This is the 1983 law (ACT 1983. Chap. 45, Section 1) that was passed to deal with the state’s homeless problem which back then was small compared to today.
The law, signed by Gov. Michael Dukakis, limited the eligibility for welfare benefits only to “residents” of the state.
It says that “any such person who enters the Commonwealth solely for the purposes of obtaining benefits under this chapter shall not be considered a resident.”
This accounts why progressives like Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Attorney General Andrea Campbell call immigrants “residents”’ even if they just crashed into the state and were sleeping at Logan Airport or checking in at one of Healey’s hotels.
Healey, the progressive that she is, had no choice when the alternative was to send many of the illegal immigrants arriving from around the world back to their home countries..
No progressive with a heart would dare suggest a thing, even if it could be done.
So that left President Trump, who the progressives hate, to clean up the mess that Joe Biden left behind when he opened the borders and waved millions of unvetted immigrants into the country, criminals included.
Governors like Healey, instead of attacking Trump, should be thanking him for shutting down the border, ending the immigrant invasion, and deporting the violent immigrant criminals living in the state committing horrendous crimes.
Instead, Healey, Wu and Campbell all planned to thwart the president.
Campbell even said, “Bring it on.” So, Trump did.
As Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
Courtesy/DEA
Boston-based agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit stand with multiple illegal immigrants they arrested on Nantucket earlier this month. (Courtesy/DEA, File)
Originally Published:
Massachusetts
Karen Read supporters rally around Massachusetts days before jury selection for second trial begins
Karen Read supporters held several protests in various communities on Sunday as her second trial is set to get underway in a Massachusetts courtroom with jury selection this week after months of pretrial hearings.
Read is charged in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who she was dating at the time. Prosecutors accuse Read of hitting O’Keefe with her SUV after a night of heavy drinking and leaving him to die in the snow outside a Canton home.
Read has pleaded not guilty and says she is being framed as part of a coverup that involves several people, including law enforcement. Read’s defense says three men could have killed O’Keefe during a fight inside the Canton home, then dragged his body outside.
CBS Boston
“Free Karen Read” standouts
On Sunday, “standouts” were held in multiple New England states.
In Dedham at Legacy place, dozens of supporters held signs with messages like “Free Karen Read” and “FRAMED.”
“She is standing up for her rights. We are standing for her rights, we are standing up for our rights. She could me … she could be anybody on this sidewalk,” said Allison Taggart, who was supporting Read during the Dedham standout.
Read’s first trial ended with a mistrial due to a hung jury. Her second trial is scheduled to get underway Tuesday with jury selection that is scheduled to be a lengthy process.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read asked the judge to dismiss the entire case but was denied, setting the stage for her second trial.
Massachusetts
Trump could reshape the economy. These Massachusetts business owners are betting on it. – The Boston Globe
And now, even with the stock market rattled by Trump’s tariff policies and recession fears rising, Johnson remains bullish.
“There might be a rocky road a little bit as the economy resets,” said Johnson. “It’s kind of like when a company files for a reorganization after bankruptcy. … It’s tough times going through that reorganization, but they come out of it a lot stronger.”
Trump’s sledgehammer approach to the economy may be unnerving to stock investors and economists, and in Massachusetts, his push to slash federal funding to universities and hospitals could jeopardize jobs, research, and health care access. But even amid the uncertainty, not everyone is bracing for bad times. Some local CEOs and business owners believe the president’s efforts to restructure the economy and rein in government spending will pay off in the long run.
“I would say pretty universally the sentiment is that businesses are going to be better under the Trump administration,” said Robert Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications in Quincy, a self-described fiscally moderate Democrat who was a big supporter of former governor Charlie Baker.
Hale doesn’t agree with all of what Trump is doing, and while the Biden administration did not hurt his business, it didn’t help either. “The Trump administration’s sentiment is pro business, which, as a business person, the wind at your back instead of in your face, is a lot different,” he said.
Other business owners have felt left behind by some of Biden’s signature initiatives, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which injected hundreds of billions of dollars into emerging industries like clean energy.
“Universities, institutions, environmental groups were getting large amounts of funding, and that’s really not how an economy grows,” said Bruce J. Mittman, CEO of Needham advertising agency Mittcom who also owns 34 radio stations across the country. “Government is there to support us and help us grow and keep the marketplaces safe and fair, and borrowing accessible to all, but it’s not there to determine winners and losers, and I think the last administration did that, to their detriment.”
During Trump’s first term, many business leaders and groups clearly distanced themselves on issues ranging from his travel ban of Muslim immigrants to his failure to condemn the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. But in his second term, even as Trump has ratcheted up deportation efforts and anti-diversity rhetoric, executives from Silicon Valley to Wall Street have fallen in line, attending his inauguration and rolling back corporate diversity programs.
Still, Trump remains a polarizing figure, especially in Massachusetts where even supportive business owners often stay quiet because they fear blowback, said Paul Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. He thinks some business owners who backed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 switched to Trump in 2024.
“The Biden that was on the campaign stage against Trump four years ago — his first time where he wanted to kind of unify the country — was not the Biden people saw in the White House,” observed Craney. “I know a lot of business owners who just felt they were just basically making it the last four years. It was tough. … They didn’t feel like people in power cared about what they were trying to do.”
But one thing that has been tough to swallow is Trump’s escalating tariff war against Canada, Mexico, China, and other countries. While business owners laud Trump’s goal to bring more manufacturing back to the US, it’s difficult to plan when his strategy keeps evolving.
“If there are tariffs, we will learn to live with them — again, short-term pain through that restructuring, while businesses adapt and people adapt,” said Rod Egger, who lives in Wellesley and serves as CEO of Bariatrix Nutrition, a high-protein food manufacturer with factories in Vermont, Canada, and France. “The worst thing would be to start down a path and then reverse course in six months or 12 months.”
For now, Egger is making minor adjustments but holding off on big moves. He’s bringing about 30 jobs back to the US, shifting from his Montreal factory to Vermont. That’s because much of Bariatrix’s source material is made in the US, and manufacturing in Canada has become more expensive amid the tariff fight.
“If his tariff strategy is well communicated, and well thought out, it could be very effective for reshoring manufacturing to the US,” added Egger.
Then there are business owners like Quincy construction firm owner Jay Cashman, who think it’s way too early to say if Trump’s policies will strengthen the economy.
Cashman, who voted for Trump, said so far he likes the idea of bringing in billionaire businessman Elon Musk to disrupt government and make it more efficient. “I think the world of Elon Musk,” said Cashman. “It’s a different perspective.”
But on other matters, Cashman said he’s taking a “wait and see” approach, though he’s not too worried.
“I’m pragmatic,” he added. “America is resilient. It can take almost anything. … I think this could be OK.”
Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at shirley.leung@globe.com.
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