Dem Massachusetts governor now wants to limit illegals in crime-ridden migrant shelters
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is hardening her approach to the state’s migrant crisis in the face of mounting safety concerns and just days before President-elect Trump is sworn into office.
Healey, a Democrat, is proposing drastic changes to how the state houses migrants by proposing that all families staying in emergency shelters be in the country legally, with rare exceptions. The move would effectively prevent new migrants from staying in state shelters.
The change, which comes after a review of the state’s right-to-shelter law, would see all shelter applicants be required to show that they are either a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident or are here "under the color of law." Exceptions are made for households that include children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The governor is also looking to strengthen background checks for anyone staying at a shelter by requiring them to disclose criminal convictions in the state and elsewhere.
Her proposal would require applicants to verify their identity, residency and immigration status before being housed. Currently, shelter applicants are allowed to be housed before providing any documentation.
It would also limit those qualifying due to evictions to the state, not anywhere in the country. For instance, this would eliminate a scenario where a migrant is evicted in another state and then comes to Massachusetts and gets shelter benefits.
"I believe these changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system in a way that aligns with the original intent of the law," Healey said in a statement. "In addition, these proposed changes will allow us to continue to ensure the safety of our system, support cities and towns in addressing the needs of unhoused families in their communities and put us on the path toward a more fiscally sustainable shelter system."
The moves come amid safety concerns at the state’s shelters and various crimes being linked to illegal migrants in the state. Records from the state indicate there have been hundreds of serious incidents at the shelters, including rapes.
Last month, an illegal immigrant was allegedly caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. An El Salvadoran illegal immigrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a child while Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seen a recent spike in illegal immigrants arrested for sex crimes in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.
Healey said in November that her state police will "absolutely not" be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use "every tool in the toolbox" to "protect" residents in the blue state.
Healey’s new proposals about after a review of the state’s right to shelter law, "continued inaction by Congress and no assistance from the federal government."
The proposals need to be approved by the legislature, and Healey outlined her recommendations in a letter to the Senate President, Speaker, and House and Senate Ways and Means Chairs, urging the changes to be in the Emergency Assistance (EA) Supplemental Budget.
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She recently announced that the administration will phase out the use of hotels and motels as shelters by the end of 2025.
Massachusetts adopted its Right to Shelter law 40 years ago, which was designed to provide housing for families in need, specifically pregnant women and children experiencing homelessness.
In recent years, migrants have sought shelter under this law which has overwhelmed its shelter system. Last year, Healey declared a state of emergency in the state due to the surge and called for federal action. She also acknowledged that the state’s policies may be a draw for migrants.
Migrants were even sleeping on the floors of Boston's Logan International Airport as the shelter system became overcrowded.
About 50,000 migrants have come to the state since 2021, according to. July report by the Center for Immigration Studies.
Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the new proposal is in line with what lawmakers have been trying to do.
"From the outset of the shelter system crisis, the House has consistently led the effort to ensure that the Commonwealth’s emergency assistance program could remain financially viable in the long-term, resulting in reforms that capped the maximum length of stay, and that required job training for individuals in the shelter system," he said in a statement, per The Associated Press.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr also welcomed the proposal.
"With the growing consensus not only on Beacon Hill, but throughout the Commonwealth, that major changes are needed urgently, we have the opportunity to at last take actions that will make the system safer, more accountable and transparent, and more sustainable," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said in a statement.
Massachusetts' Republican Party in August accused Healey of quietly having spent over $1 billion on the state’s migrant crisis.
"The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark," Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said in a statement at the time.
"They have withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire, and EMTs. Blocking journalists at every turn, the administration has obstructed the flow of information to the public."