Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has sent a team to the southern border of the United States this week to advise illegal immigrants not to seek shelter in Massachusetts due to the record-breaking influx of migrants.
The Healey administration issued a statement on June 25, stating that the goal of this trip is to “establish connections with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Northern Joint Task Force, non-governmental organizations, and immigrant families to inform these families that Massachusetts lacks available shelters for them to stay.”
“It is crucial that we send out the message that our shelters are full, so that these families can make plans accordingly to ensure they have a safe place to go,” said Scott Rice, the director of emergency assistance in Massachusetts, who will lead the team on the border inspection.
The state government announced that the team visiting the border will visit multiple illegal immigrant entry points, including San Antonio Airport, San Antonio Migrant Resource Center and Shelter, Ursula Processing Facility, Hidalgo Port of Entry, and Brownsville Migrant Welcome Center. All these locations are in Texas, which is the largest source of illegal immigrants entering Massachusetts.
With the influx of illegal immigrants, Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system has long been overcrowded. Governor Healey signed a new law this year stipulating that refugee families can stay in emergency shelters for a maximum of 9 months. Starting next month, the state government will begin issuing eviction notices to refugee families who have resided in shelters long-term.
The emergency family shelters in Massachusetts reached their capacity limit of 7,500 families in November last year. To accommodate a large number of refugees, the state government has not only opened existing shelter facilities but also rented hotel rooms and set up temporary shelters in government buildings. In the fiscal year 2024 ending on June 30, the state government allocated approximately $826 million to the shelter system. Healey estimated that the shelter system may require $915 million in the fiscal year 2025.
Let me know if you need any more information or if you have any additional requests.