OTR: Mayor Wu weighs in on migrant shelter crisis in Massachusetts

Updated: 12:29 PM EST Jan 14, 2024

BOSTONS MAYOR MICHELLE WU. WE WILL HEAR MORE FROM GOVERNOR HEALEY ABOUT THIS A LITTLE LATER THIS WEEK. BUT THE COST OF EMERGENCY SHELTERS IS BECOMING A BUDGET BUSTER FOR THE STATE. IT IS DRIVEN BY A SURGE IN MIGRANT FAMILIES. THE GOVERNOR IS NOW CUTTING SPENDING. SEVERAL PROGRAMS BOSTON, A SANCTUARY CITY, IS IN A DIFFICULT POSITION. WHERE IS THIS GOING? THE STATE SAYS THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE IN THE LONG TERME. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT I HEAR FROM EVERY MAYOR I TALK TO ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS A TREMENDOUS STRESS. WE KNOW THAT NATIONALLY, PEOPLE NEED SERVICES, NEED SUPPORTS, AND WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE FOLKS ARE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS BECAUSE THE BUREAUCRACY IS IS TAKING SO LONG. SOME OF THIS IS IT IN BOSTON, SOME OF THE INTERVENTIONS THAT THE GOVERNOR AND OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON TOGETHER HAVE BEEN WORKING. WEVE HAD SEVERAL VERY SUCCESSFUL WORK AUTHORIZATION CLINICS TO HELP PEOPLE APPLY FOR THEIR THEIR AUTHORIZATIONS FASTER AND THEN BE ABLE TO GET TO WORK. BUT THIS IS A LARGER CHALLENGE AROUND HOUSING WHERE WE STARTED BECAUSE HOUSING IS SO EXPENSIVE TO BEGIN WITH. WHEN WE HAVE NEW FAMILIES ARRIVING WHO NEED SERVICES, IT IT ALL CONTINUES TO PILE ON. AND SO WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO MAKE SURE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE WELCOMING AND HAVE MULTI LINGUAL, UH SERVICES AND SUPPORTS, BUT ALSO ON THE HOUSING FRONT TO MAKE SURE WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BUILD MORE HOUSING. NEXT. NEXT TOPIC I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WAS HARVARD. YOU HAVE YOU HAVE TWO DEGREES FROM HARVARD. YOU YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF OF THE LARGEST CITY IN IN NEW ENGLAND. YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. YOUR NAME HAS COME UP IN CONVERSATION ABOUT WHO THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE ALMA MATER MIGHT BE. WHATS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? IS THAT WHAT THE QUESTION IS? I, I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE WITH THAT QUESTION. OKAY, OKAY. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PLANS TO LEAVE THIS AMAZING JOB THAT I HAVE. I THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT DECISION, THOUGH, THAT THE UNIVERSITY IS GOING TO MAKE IN A TIME OF TREMENDOUS STRESS AND CHALLENGE FOR ACADEMIA. OVERALL, THERE ARE MANY, MANY WAYS IN WHICH THE THE CONVERSATIONS NATIONALLY ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT WHO BELONGS AND WHAT THE ROLE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS AND DIVERSITY AND EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN IS BEING DIRECTED AT PARTNERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WE KNOW THAT MASSACHUSETTS AND BOSTON IS HOME TO THE, THE BEST OF THE BEST. ITS WHERE THE WORLD LOOKS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAD AND TO TEACH, TO EDUCATE AND THEY HAVE A BIG TASK AHEAD OF THEM. AND WELL CONTINUE TO TRY TO SUPPORT WHEREVER WE CAN WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO CLAUDINE GAY? I THINK IT IS. UM, I, IM VERY SADDENED. I THINK IT WAS A, A VERY QUICK AND RAPID, UM, SERIES OF MISSTEPS AND MISTAKES THAT SHE TOOK ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THAT GOT WRAPPED INTO A MUCH LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT ISSUES THAT THAT WERE BEYOND WHAT SHE COULD CONTROL AND BEYOND, UM, THE WHAT YOU NORMALLY THINK OF AS WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF A UNIVERSITY. AND SO THERE ARE, UM, DECISION POINTS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS WE HEAD INTO THIS NEXT YEAR AND THIS NEXT ELECTION CYCLE, ABOUT HOW WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER, HOW WE COME TOGETHER AND UNITE CITIES ARE DEFINITELY IN THE CROSSHAIRS. WAS SHE WRONGED CLAUDINE GAY, IN YOUR OPINION, WRONGED. I MEAN, SHE SHE HAS MADE HER DECISION AT THIS POINT AND SHE HAS SPOKEN PUBLICLY ABOUT THE, UM, STATEMENTS THAT SHE WISHES HAD GONE DIFFERENTLY. SHE I DO BELIEVE, THOUGH, THAT THERE WAS VERY MUCH A TARGETED EFFORT HERE BECAUSE OF WHO SHE WAS. THE INSTITUTION SHE REPRESENTED, AND A MOMENT WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO DISMANTLE THE PROGRESS TO INCLUDE MORE PEOPLE AND TO INCLUDE ALL OF US IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN LEADERSHIP. THIS WAS A THIS WAS VERY MUCH CONNECTED TO THE SAME, UH, SOURCE OF TRYING TO DISMANTLE DEI AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND RESHAPE WHO HAS ACCESS AND WHO BELONGS HERE. WE CANT LET YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ASKING IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO RUN FOR A SECOND TIME. I HAVE, WHICH IS WHY WE KIND OF TRIED TO ASK ABOUT THE HARVARD PRISON. RIGHT? RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. I KNOW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. ARE YOU RUNNING RIGHT? UM. I LOVE MY JOB. I HAVE A LOT TO DO. AS AS YOU HEARD EARLIER IN THE WEEK, MANY OF OUR PLANS THAT IVE LAID OUT WILL REQUIRE SOME TIME TO UNFOLD. AND TO REALLY IMPLEMENT AND GET GOING. THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME LATER FOR POLITICAL FRUITION. IS THAT. OH, I WOULD LOVE TO. I WOULD LOVE TO. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERES A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US AND IM FOCUSED ON GETTING THAT WORK DONE. AND WHEN THERES TIME FOR POLITICS, WELL GET TO THAT IN THE FUTURE. BUT RIGHT

OTR: Mayor Wu weighs in on migrant shelter crisis in Massachusetts

Updated: 12:29 PM EST Jan 14, 2024

The mayor of Boston also addresses speculation that she will step down and become president of her alma mater, Harvard University.

The mayor of Boston also addresses speculation that she will step down and become president of her alma mater, Harvard University.

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OTR: Mayor Wu weighs in on migrant shelter crisis in Mass. - WCVB Boston