Hello friends,

Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling allowing an end to Temporary Protected Status protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti and Syria may have been anticipated but that doesn't make it any less devastating or debilitating.

And legal experts warn the impact could be sudden.

"Long-term, highly valued employees may no longer be authorized to work, creating compliance risks, staffing shortages, and operational disruption," warns Wolfsdorf Rosenthal, a national corporate immigration law firm.

The ruling allows the Department of Homeland Security to move forward with terminating TPS protections. ICE officers would then be able to detain and deport TPS holders whose protections have expired, according to the New York Times.

TPS holders are scrambling to find alternative protections — asylum, work visas, other authorizations — but all that can take years.  Short of that, employers, including hospitals, construction companies and across the hospitality sector, may soon have to fire workers whose sole work authority came through TPS.

And our neighbors, our small business owners, our coworkers, our employees and our customers who’ve built lives here will be forced to leave.

An important caveat

It’s critical to note that the court’s decision does not end an employee's work authorization or invalidate an existing status. We won’t know what happens next – or when employers need to take action – until DHS issues guidance.

Employers should also not assume all Haitian or Syrian employees rely on TPS. Many have other work authorizations. See the Massachusetts Attorney General's guidance, Pathway for Immigrant Workers, and MIRA Coaltion offer resources and helplines to both employers and employees navigating these changes.

How you can help

The United Way of Mass Bay and the Healey-Driscoll Administration have launched a fund to support the estimated 45,000 Haitians in Massachusetts affected by the ruling, covering emergency financial assistance for food, housing, healthcare and childcare.

The Boston Foundation also has a fund supporting immigrants in Boston.

As always, I value your feedback.

Rent control is out. Now let's get something good done.

This week, the state Supreme Judicial Court tossed that draconian rent control question off the November ballot.

It's off the table for now — but will likely come back.

That gives housing advocates, businesses and elected officials a small window right now to focus on initiatives that would actually help address our economy-crushing housing supply and affordability crisis.

Priority No. 1 should be the Legalize Starter Homes ballot question, which would cap local minimum lot sizes at 5,000 SF.  In many of our chamber communities, minimums run 15,000 SF or more — triple that.  

That effectively guarantees teardowns that result in one big, expensive McMansion instead of several smaller homes, pushing young families and young professionals out of our communities.  (Read what the NY Times said.)

Two bills on Beacon Hill also deserve a push:

• The YIGBY bill ("Yes in God's Backyard”) would make it easier for faith communities to build housing on their own property. One study estimates it could yield half a million new homes.
  
  
• The YIMBY Act would allow up to five homes per lot in areas with adequate sewer and water infrastructure and three per lot elsewhere, among other zoning reforms.

The reason these bills haven't passed is the same reason rent control landed on the ballot in the first place: House and Senate leaders struggle to reach consensus, leading individuals and groups to take matters into their own hands.

And then there’s Brookline

Okay, we’re not fully done with rent control around here. Brookline’s home rule petition to implement rent control is still pending.

The proposal, which narrowly passed Town Meeting in 2023, closely resembles the compromise language that emerged during negotiations over the now-defeated statewide ballot question. It would cap annual rent increases at inflation plus 3%, or 7% total, whichever is lower, while exempting newly constructed units for 15 years.

There is currently no Senate vote scheduled on the petition. The House has yet to take it up.

Friday grab bag

• If the marketing folks at Amazon Prime are so smart, how is it that they don’t know that a “day” is defined as 24 hours? Anyway, here are 101 places to shop locally instead.
  
  
• Today (June 26) is the last day to tell the state how you feel about plans to declare portions of the MassBay Community College property in Wellesley “surplus.” Email 40OaklandSt.DCAMM@mass.gov
  
  
• Here’s our letter to the state about MassBay.
  
  
• Construction of the new commuter rail station in Newtonville is scheduled to start in November and be completed by the spring of 2029. Sign up for updates.
  
  
• Hey there, Cantabrigians: Our restaurants and bars will be happy to see and serve you in Watertown, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley and Needham.
  
  
• Looking to understand what the state’s new junk fee regulations mean for your business? The Boston Chamber and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office are hosting a hybrid forum July 9 (1–2 p.m.)  Register
  
  
• CD Projekt RED, the Polish video game company behind “Cyberpunk 2077” and “The Witcher,” is relocating its Massachusetts studio to Watertown after receiving state tax credits through the Economic Development Incentive Program.
  
  
• MIRA will host a webinar in Haitian Creole on the Supreme Court decision on TPS on Tues. (June 30) at noon.
  
  
• Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston hosts a multilingual online Know Your Rights Training for Businesses & Workers, on Tuesday (June 30) at 11 a.m. The session will provide practical guidance on workplace rights, immigration-related protections, and how businesses and workers can respond safely and legally to immigration enforcement situations. Register
  
  
• Dispensary owners, health care workers and activists gathered on the steps of the State House yesterday, railing against a ballot question that would roll back legal marijuana and to announce the launch of a ballot committee opposed to the measure. (GBH)
  
  
• See and be seen at our next big event.
  
  
• After just one year, Massachusetts is already 15% of the way to its 10-year housing construction goal of 222,000 homes by 2035, but that pace isn’t likely to be sustained. (Banker & Tradesman)
  
  
• With the recent closing in Dedham and two other spots, there are no more Hooters restaurants in Massachusetts. (Boston.com)
  
  
• If you appreciate our mission and advocacy but are not directly affiliated with a business or nonprofit, please consider becoming a Charles River Regional Chamber Citizen Member.  Thank you.

Watertown's biotech lands $100M, goes public

Watertown biotech Remix Therapeutics has secured $100 million in new financing and will go public through a reverse merger with Philadelphia-based Passage Bio, reports Hannah Green at the BBJ.

Remix develops drugs that correct errors in how cells read genetic instructions — errors that can drive cancer — with active clinical trials in two cancers and research collaborations with Roche and Johnson & Johnson.

Headquartered at Boylston Properties' 100 Forge, the 40-person company has raised more than $300 million to date. The new funding carries Remix through 2028.

Davio's is forced to leave Chestnut Hill location

After 13 years as a see-and-be-seen destination at The Street, Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse is saying arrivederci to Chestnut Hill (at least for now), this Sunday (June 28).

Owner Steve DiFillippo says the restaurant is closing because of a change in ownership of the adjacent Showcase SuperLux, the theater complex that shares space with Davio’s.

“There are a million reasons why restaurants close, but this one is not closing because of lack of business,” DiFillippo told Boston Magazine.

“We’re closing because we don’t have a lease. We can’t stay in a space that’s not ours,” adding that he only found out about the closure last week.

The good news and more good news? Most employees will move to other Davio’s locations. And DiFillippo says he’s looking for a new spot in Chestnut Hill.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know how we’ve been spending our time over the past century-plus. (Watching on mute recommended.)

Be back Tuesday.  Keep on supporting local.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Looking for an earlier edition? Archive here

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.