Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has dispatched state officials to the U.S.-Mexico border with a crucial message for migrant families considering coming to Boston: “Our shelters are full.”
Despite the state’s emergency shelter system being at full capacity, record numbers of immigrant families continue to arrive in Boston. To address this, Massachusetts officials will visit key points of entry such as the San Antonio Airport, Centro de Bienvenida/San Antonio Migrant Resource Center and Shelter, Ursula Processing Facility in McAllen, Hidalgo Port of Entry, and Brownsville Migrant Welcome Center. These locations are common entry points for families who later arrive in Massachusetts.
In response to capacity issues, the legislature recently approved a 9-month limit on how long families can stay in emergency shelters. Healey’s administration anticipates that the first families may be forced out of the system as early as September 29.
State Sen. Peter Durant, a Republican, has called for changes to the commonwealth’s right-to-shelter law. Sounds like a place to start.
For more, see www.wcvb.com.