Since President Biden announced on June 4th the implementation of executive actions to close off most of the southern border, it hasn’t even been a month yet when Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey sent her deputy to the border of Texas to warn illegal immigrants who have crossed the U.S. border: do not come to Massachusetts for shelter.
According to Bloomberg on Tuesday, earlier this week Governor Healey dispatched five state officials to Texas to caution illegal immigrants there from seeking refuge in Massachusetts. At the same time, she informed border protection officials and non-governmental organizations that Massachusetts is overwhelmed and its existing emergency shelter system cannot accommodate more immigrant families.
Retired Air Force Lieutenant General L. Scott Rice, tasked with overseeing Massachusetts’ shelter system, stated in a press release, “This visit is an important opportunity to meet with arriving families in the U.S. and organizations working with them at the border to ensure they receive accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts.”
He said, “We need to let people know that our shelters are full so these families can make appropriate plans to ensure they have a safe place to go.”
Governor Healey is a member of Biden’s National Campaign Advisory Committee and one of the Democratic governors supporting strict limitations on asylum applications at the southern border.
The Massachusetts government clarified that the swift dispatch of personnel to Texas is not a sign of dissatisfaction with the President’s policies. Leaders in the blue northern state are working hard to address the influx of immigrants and hope that the President’s policies can help relieve the pressure on shelters within a certain timeframe.
It is reported that the trip of Massachusetts officials has been in the works for weeks. An official mentioned that the number of new families (including immigrants) seeking asylum in Massachusetts has decreased compared to previous months in recent weeks. However, with the potential ripple effects of new border measures, Massachusetts may not be able to wait.
Under a decades-old “right to shelter” law, Massachusetts is obligated to provide emergency housing for homeless families and pregnant women, similar to a provision in New York City. However, with state resources becoming increasingly strained, Governor Healey set a limit of 7,500 families for the emergency shelter system last October, while opening up overflow sites for hundreds of homeless families and working to expedite work permits for new immigrants. Currently, 7,379 families are housed in shelters, with 413 families placed in overflow sites.
The Massachusetts government will also start implementing a nine-month shelter stay restriction to comply with state council regulations on controlling emergency shelter costs. If the number of families in shelters remains the same, costs for this fiscal year and the next could approach $1 billion.
Governor Healey and state lawmakers criticize and plead with Congress on immigration issues, urging the federal government to pass a border bill to stem the flow of immigrants into the U.S. while also hoping that Congress will provide funding to Massachusetts and the most heavily impacted states.
The team sent by Governor Healey to Texas will stop in San Antonio, McAllen, Hidalgo, and Brownsville, as these places are reportedly common starting points for refugees heading to Massachusetts.