Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1494985
wbjournal.com | March 20, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 25 Central Mass. Breweries Biden's proposed asylum ban is not the answer V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L A scentria Care Alliance and the International Institute of New England are human services organizations that have been welcoming and serving immigrants in New England communities for more than a century. While our organizations understand the pres- sure President Joe Biden is under to address the influx of migrants along the southern border, the U.S. has a proud tradition of being a safe haven for asylum seekers. An asy- lum transit ban is contrary to this country's self-proclaimed status and long history as a beacon of liberty. Notwithstanding the humanitarian argument, we fear this ban will put additional strain on our already struggling economy by preventing a critical source of much-needed labor to come to Massachusetts. e Biden Administration's pro- posed rule would ban people from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they do not apply for asylum in another country first or do not make an appointment with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office through a mobile app. is is completely contrary to our fundamental values of providing refuge to those who are fleeing persecution, violence, or other threats. Moreover, it violates the Immigration and Na- tionality Act, which allows people seeking protection to apply for asylum regardless of the manner of entry. ere are critical arguments to make in support of open asylum. Economic benefit: Immigrants offer our struggling economy a critical source of labor across industries. A glaring example is the healthcare systems in Massachusetts crumbling due to staff shortages, putting patients at risk, and leaving thousands without care. A reduction in immigrants with work eligibility will exac- erbate this. Ascentria and IINE have spent years devel- oping partnerships to address staff shortages by creating a pathway for licensed medical professionals from other countries to be trained to work in healthcare facilities. Child protection: Under the proposed ban, children will be allowed U.S. entry if they arrive unaccompanied, but they will be turned away if they arrive with family members, exacerbating family separation at the border and putting desperate children at unforgivable risk. We call on policymakers to recognize the importance of a fair and humane asylum system to allow people to seek safety from persecution. Working together, we can find ways to ensure those seeking asylum can reunite with their families and pursue a path to citizenship; and make available a critical source of labor in the U.S. Angela Bovill is president and CEO of Worcester human services nonprofit Ascentria Care Alliance. Jeffrey ielman is president and CEO of Boston immigra- tion nonprofit International Institute of New England. BY ANGELA BOVILL & JEFFREY THIELMAN Special to WBJ A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y R A M Ó N L . S A N D O V A L Creating a well-rounded life sciences ecosystem Angela Bovill C entral Mass. has a real opportunity to leverage its successes and make a significant mark upon the global life sciences industry. It's great to brand the region as more affordable than Cambridge/Greater Boston and to emphasize the appeal of manufacturing products in nearby facilities where real estate is cheaper. However, we're better off positioning Greater Worcester as a separate and distinct market. e distance between Worcester and Boston is greater than the distance between San Francisco and San Jose, the territory covering Silicon Valley. Much like those two California hubs are each bookends for the tech industry, Worcester can become its own biomanufacturing, research, and biotech hub. During WBJ's Life Sciences Forum at the DCU Center on March 14, the keynote and panelists spoke of the many advantages Central Mass. has to offer life sciences: an educated and trained workforce; business- friendly communities helping cut red tape; established players like Boston Scientific in Marlborough, Bristol Myers Squibb in Devens, and AbbVie in Worcester; hundreds of millions in research dollars at places like UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine; real estate wide open enough for developers like King Street Properties to build a ground-up $500-million life sciences campus in Devens, and real estate versatile enough for portions of the Natick Mall to be converted into lab space. In August, the international real estate firm CBRE ranked Greater Worcester as the 15th best U.S. metro area for life sciences research talent pools, scoring higher than other major regions like Dallas/Fort Worth. Clearly, Central Massachusetts has an opportunity. Beyond attracting big names and constructing big developments is making sure companies of all sizes have a chance to flourish, especially the younger companies still researching whether their ideas can make for viable and profitable products. With incubators like Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester and ABI-LAB in Natick, the region has places for startups to find their footing. e next step, though, is where early stage companies must navigate the so-called Valley of Death, where funding research – meaning negative cash flow – needs to continue before their products make it to the market. As WBJ Staff Writer Kevin Koczwara writes in his "Making life sciences affordable" story on page 8, this stage just got some much-needed support. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in a nearly $1-million partnership with MBI, has developed a new lab space full of the kind of lab equipment few early stage companies can afford, but they've got access at WPI's Cell Engineering Research Equipment Suite to help prove the viability of their products. is marks an important step in reaching the goal of a well-rounded life sciences ecosystem. e future of Central Mass. life sciences is exciting as the region has a number of competitive advantages. With continued smart investments both publicly and privately, the opportunity for growth is immense. The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. W W Jeffrey Thielman