On Tuesday evening, the candidates for Massachusetts governor met in their last debate ahead of Tuesday's general election. Throughout the campaign season, Massachusetts Gubernatorial candidates Martha Coakley (D) and Charlie Baker (R) have outlined contrasting positions on several state-level immigration issues.
Baker supports allowing immigrants with work permits to obtain in-state tuition at public Massachusetts universities. However, he opposes giving in-state tuition to those without permits to work in Massachusetts after graduation. Coakley, on the other hand, supports extending in-state tuition benefits to the children of undocumented immigrants no matter their work status.
The two candidates also differ on the question of allowing undocumented immigrants to acquire driver's licenses. Baker does not support providing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, saying "No one's ever been able to explain how you can document and verify someone who is undocumented."
Coakley is more open to granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. She has said, "There are a lot of people who have been here a long time who can't get to work, to a medical emergency, if they don't have a license." She has promised to work with law enforcement and members of the immigration community to resolve this issue.
Employers of foreign nationals working in Massachusetts remain concerned about the driver's license debate as even those employees working in valid status are often unable to renew their driver's licenses while waiting for USCIS to adjudicate their extensions.
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