Worcester Board of Health asks city staff to coordinate services for immigrants after attorney’s briefing

The Worcester Board of Health voted to ask city staff to work with outside experts to develop a coordinated municipal approach to services for immigrants and recent arrivals, following a presentation that framed immigration status as a social determinant of health.

Alex Moragian, an immigration attorney who said he works in refugee and asylum matters, told the board that immigration status “is definitely a social determinant of health” and described legal pathways and supports that local organizations use to help people detained or at risk of removal. He urged local agencies to expand housing, medical and mental‑health supports and to improve referral pathways so people can access legal relief when eligible.

Moragian told the board that Worcester has an estimated 45,000–50,000 foreign‑born residents (2023 data) and that a substantial share of recent arrivals remain noncitizens. He described concrete forms of relief — asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, U and T visas, and hardship‑based applications — and the kinds of local social‑service supports (medical evaluations, wraparound services, witness statements, housing and reentry supports) that judges and bond hearings often want to see. “We can’t be totally on defense,” he said, urging local officials to combine enforcement vigilance with affirmative programs that let people tell their stories, access care, and pursue stabilization.

Board members responding to the presentation said Worcester’s current response relies heavily on nonprofit and volunteer efforts and that a city‑level system could improve outreach to schools, clinics and community groups that already work with immigrants. After discussion, the board approved a motion directing staff to contact the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco for guidance and to begin developing a process for coordinating city departments and community organizations to support immigrant residents. The motion was made by Gary Rosen and seconded; the recorded vote was in favor by the three board members present.

Speakers in public comment and during board discussion raised the need for carefully designed referral pathways to attorneys and community clinics so that individuals are not unintentionally exposed to immigration authorities when seeking help. Rystar Health and other local clinics were named as existing service providers that could join a coordinated effort; some speakers asked city staff to consider funding for legal application fees, naturalization assistance, and English‑language access.

The board asked staff to return with a plan for next steps and to consider convening relevant nonprofits, school officials and city departments. The action does not itself change city policy; it directs staff to gather guidance and develop options for city leaders and the City Council to consider.

Members and staff said they will seek to present findings to the City Council or its public‑health committee once staff have reviewed the ILRC materials and local partners’ capacity.

The board’s motion and vote concluded the immigration item; staff will report back to the board with the recommended next steps and any resource implications.