BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey Declares State of Emergency Due to Migrant Influx
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, citing an increase in migrants seeking shelter. At a time when housing costs are rising and already in short supply, there are currently nearly 5,600 families or over 20,000 people living in state shelters, including migrants, infants, young children, and pregnant women. This represents an 80% increase from a year ago.
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State of Emergency and Financial Assistance Needed
Many migrants are arriving in Massachusetts by plane from other states, with 50 migrant families landing in the past 48 hours alone. Gov. Healey is calling on the federal government for financial help as well as expedited work authorizations to allow the new arrivals to find jobs more quickly.
Gov. Healey has written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, expressing the urgent need for work authorizations and identifying them as a primary driver of the crisis. Currently, the process to receive work authorizations can take weeks, months, or even more than a year, delaying the ability of migrants to become self-sufficient.
Migrant Relief Efforts
As part of the emergency declaration, Gov. Healey is renewing the call to local organizations to assist those seeking shelter and urging people to sponsor a family in their homes. Additionally, the state has launched a new migrant relief fund to raise money for a range of goods and services for migrants, including food, clothing, diapers, transportation, health screenings, translation services, legal assistance, and English classes.
Crisis Response and Public Opinion
Massachusetts, as a right-to-shelter state, is legally obligated to provide eligible families with shelter through its emergency assistance program. Advocates for immigrants, like Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute, emphasize that new migrant families are eager to work and contribute to the economy.
However, critics such as Paul Diego Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance argue that Gov. Healey and state lawmakers should rescind the state’s right-to-shelter policy. Craney suggests that Gov. Healey should visit the southern border to witness the open border crisis firsthand.
Support from Local Communities and Challenges in Other States
More than 80 cities and towns across Massachusetts have experienced the impact of new migrants and support the emergency declaration. Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, highlights the need for state and federal agencies to step in and provide services and support for the families.
Other states, such as New York, have also faced challenges with handling the influx of migrants. New York Mayor Eric Adams has announced a plan to house up to 2,000 migrants on an island in the East River. Some states led by Republicans, like Texas and Florida, have transported immigrants to states and cities led by Democrats, including California, Massachusetts, New York, and Chicago.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, flew 49 Venezuelan migrants to the upscale Massachusetts enclave of Martha’s Vineyard last year.
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