A new internship program is looking to investigate health disparities among Massachusetts' immigrant population.

The Immigrant Scholar Internship Program at the Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research is designed to have scholars examine the health of immigrants.

According to a 2021 report, residents in the city of Chelsea, 45% of whom are foreign born, said fear of immigration repercussions prevented them from seeking critical health care.

Jessica Santos, director of the Zallman Center, said in developing the program, she found pushback in wanting to pay the interns a decent wage, with many believing the experience alone would be more valuable.

"Paying interns gives folks who are in underrepresented communities and less elite spaces the ability to actually do an internship," Santos explained. "When I was a professor, I don't know how many of my students would come to me and say I literally cannot afford to do an internship this summer; I just need to work."

One thing she wants to change for the future of the program is to get students from different schools across the state. Rather than focusing on more elite schools, she wants to cast a wide net across schools for all immigrant scholars interested in being a part of the program.

Danielle Chun, strategy and partnership manager at the Zallman Center, said some of the training the interns go through revolves around research methods and means of evaluation. There are specific overviews and methodology training for what an intern might be working on.

She directly supervises the interns and has found while she has helped shape them, they have helped shape the program. One of her favorite moments is watching each cohort of interns take the reins on a project.

"I really love seeing how, even in such a short time, how they really flourish," Chun recounted. "And how they really take ownership of the projects they're working on. In the beginning there's a lot of checking in with me to make sure that what they're doing is right, and as they grow more comfortable with us, and as we delegate more to them and provide leadership opportunities for them to take."

Chun noted her personal goal for the interns is for them to leave the program with something tangible such as a report or presentation, documenting the research project. Although interns enter the program from different levels of academia and different fields of study, she hopes they learn about the cross-section of their fields of study and immigrant health.

Undocumented workers in Washington state do not have access to unemployment insurance, but some state lawmakers aim to change it this session.

The bill proposed in the House and Senate would create a wage replacement program for undocumented Washingtonians who lose their jobs.

Sasha Wasserstrom, policy director for the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, said immigrants are a vital part of the state's economy, and called the measure long overdue.

"We are hoping for this legislation to pass in order for undocumented workers to finally get what is due to them," Wasserstrom contended. "Which is having the security that if they lose their jobs -- through no fault of their own -- that they can have the same security that any other resident has of Washington state."

Wasserstrom pointed out undocumented workers pay the taxes which support unemployment benefits, but are not eligible for them. Data from 2019 found households headed by undocumented immigrants paid $371 million in state and local taxes. Businesses are pushing back on the legislation, saying employers who knowingly hire ineligible workers face penalties under federal laws.

Wasserstrom noted workers who have no safety net when they are laid off put not only themselves in a difficult situation, but their families as well.

"We've heard so many stories of how not having that security has put folks in dangerous or violent situations -- has created food insecurity issues for families, made it more dangerous for parents and children in the home -- without having the possibility of income replacement," Wasserstrom recounted.

Other states have established programs to provide benefits for undocumented workers, including Colorado.

The Senate version of the Washington state measure is scheduled for a public hearing on Thursday.

Connecticut lawmakers are being asked to expand HUSKY - the state's Medicaid program - to include immigrants, regardless of their status.

Two years ago, legislation was passed to provide HUSKY Medicaid for undocumented children from birth to age eight, and for pre- and postnatal care for pregnancies of undocumented people beginning this year. Last year, kids were added up to age 12.

Now, advocates hope to expand HUSKY to immigrants and kids of all ages. Several groups are meeting with lawmakers today to discuss legislation for this expansion.

Luis Luna, coalition manager for the group "HUSKY 4 Immigrants," noted what he's hoping will come from this conversation.

"What we want to show is the issue, the issue at hand, that we must provide healthcare beyond 18," said Luna. "The other one, too, is we want to show, like, the broad support - not only from folks who are affected by this, but also from legislators, organizations, from healthcare providers."

More than 300 healthcare providers signed a letter in support of HUSKY expansion. In to a survey by the Universal Healthcare Foundation of Connecticut, it's a view shared by 57% of the state's residents.

A 2021 bill to expand HUSKY failed in committee in the General Assembly, because of cost. Opponents said it would also mean the state couldn't get federal funding for those who qualify for the expanded coverage.

A report from the Rand Corporation shows that adding immigrants to HUSKY would cost $83 million, but would provide over 21,000 people in the state with coverage.

Luna said the critical need for healthcare during the pandemic is part of what has fueled support for this expansion.

"In the beginning of the campaign, the first challenge was to change the narrative," said Luna, "that undocumented folks deserve healthcare. We've been continuing to push that narrative beyond 18. We do not want to get stuck in just having children only access HUSKY through this program, because it just brings a whole set of problems if you don't have an inclusive program."

He said one challenge of the campaign is rooted in legislators' views of who does - or doesn't - deserve healthcare.

In a few months, Ohio voters will no longer be allowed to vote with utility bills or other non-photo documents as proof of identification, when a new law goes into effect, requiring voters to present strict forms of photo ID at the polls.

Samantha Searls, program manager at the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, explained older residents, people in rural communities and others who do not drive will have to obtain a new state photo ID, most commonly in the form of a driver's license.

And under the law, new Ohio driver's licenses will be required to list citizenship status.

"Not only do people have to get a photo ID to vote, but that photo ID has to list someone's citizenship status on it," Searls pointed out.

In a statement, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said election integrity is a significant concern to Americans on both sides of the political aisle, and he believes the new law addresses their concerns.

Searls pointed out photo IDs explicitly stating citizenship status put non-documented residents at risk for discrimination when withdrawing money from the bank, renting a car, entering a government building, purchasing alcohol, and other everyday activities.

"That means that if someone was DACA, or if someone who was a refugee gets pulled over, they're discriminated against even more because of the fact that 'noncitizen' is listed on their license," Searls contended.

Searls added the new law sends a message to the state's more than half a million immigrants, many of whom are naturalized citizens. According to the American Immigration Council, more than 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in the state.

"Unfortunately, the anti-immigrant rhetoric in Ohio has been really bad and has led to concrete situations of harm against immigrant communities," Searls observed.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, and Union Veterans and other groups have sued the state over the new law, arguing it imposes severe burdens disproportionately on the young, elderly and Black voters.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.