The Supreme Court handed down one of its most consequential immigration decisions in years on Thursday, ruling 6-3 that the Trump administration has the authority to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 330,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians living in the United States. For Massachusetts, this isn't an abstract legal question — an estimated 45,000 Haitians in this state held TPS, and many of them woke up Thursday morning not knowing what comes next.

The human reality landed hard at the State House. Governor Maura Healey called it a "cruel and callous" ruling, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu — her voice noticeably breaking — told local Haitian and Syrian residents directly: "You belong here." Beyond the emotional response, both officials are moving toward concrete action. Healey and United Way of Massachusetts Bay announced a statewide emergency fund to help TPS holders navigate what's coming. The Boston Foundation launched a parallel fund focused on the city. These aren't solutions, but they're a signal that Massachusetts intends to use every tool it has — legal, financial, and political — to cushion the blow.

The bigger worry, though, is what Thursday's ruling signals for the other 1.3 million TPS holders from 17 countries. Haitians and Syrians are first. Venezuelans, Salvadorans, and others may not be far behind. For Massachusetts communities in Springfield, Brockton, Boston, and beyond, the next few weeks will be a scramble — immigration lawyers, community organizations, and school districts all trying to figure out what "what happens next" actually looks like.

After a genuinely dramatic budget season that included a deadlocked rejection vote and arrests in the council chambers, the Boston City Council this week formally accepted Mayor Wu's amended $4.9 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The council managed to restore $1.8 million for rental vouchers, $750,000 for youth jobs, and $500,000 in senior programming — but hundreds of BPS layoffs remain in the plan, and some councilors are already saying the process needs a serious overhaul next year.

Governor Healey announced Thursday that she's suspending tax incentives for data centers — a significant shift given that Massachusetts passed a generous 20-year sales tax exemption for them just two years ago. Her administration's new framework demands that data center operators bring their own clean energy, avoid straining local water supplies, and not drive up residents' utility bills. In plain terms: you can build here, but not on the public's dime and not at the public's expense.

A coalition of dispensary owners, municipal leaders, and health advocates rallied on the State House steps Thursday to launch the "Stop the Repeal" campaign — their pushback against a November ballot question that would roll back Massachusetts's decade-old legal marijuana law. The campaign is framing this as an in-state grassroots effort vs. out-of-state money: the group pushing repeal received $1.55 million from a Virginia-based anti-marijuana nonprofit. With 20,000-plus jobs and a $1.65 billion industry on the line, this one's going to get loud.

The Framingham Police Department announced it won't renew its contract with Flock Safety, the automated license plate reader company, after months of sustained pressure from residents concerned about privacy and data sharing. Access to the system gets cut off June 30. It's a notable win for community organizing in a city that has become something of a bellwether for surveillance tech debates — and a reminder that showing up to meetings actually works sometimes.

A video circulating on social media appears to show Congressman Seth Moulton — currently challenging Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary — making contact with a phone being held by someone who asked him whether he endorses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Moulton's campaign says the person was a "paid political tracker" from America Rising, a Republican opposition research firm, not a journalist. Fox News says otherwise. Either way, "You should do a better job at hanging onto your phone" is not the line you want following you into a Senate primary.

The Stop the Repeal campaign officially launched Thursday — the November ballot question on cannabis legalization is now an active battleground, so watch for signature deadlines and campaign finance filings in the weeks ahead. GBH News →

A federal judge in Boston this week blocked the Trump administration's attempt to create a national voter list and restrict mail-in ballot delivery — the case is expected to head to the Supreme Court, so this fight isn't over. Universal Hub →

Afternoon thunderstorms are possible today across Massachusetts, with a heavier heat wave expected to build mid-to-late next week — plan your weekend outdoor activities accordingly. WCVB →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
• Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

• Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Ballot Question Committees

• Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
• Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

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