Massachusetts Sends Warning: Migrant Shelters 'Full'

Massachusetts officials went down to the southern border to warn migrants and federal agencies that statewide shelters are already "full" from burgeoning immigration.

Governor Maura Healey sent administration officials to the U.S.-Mexico border to meet with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Joint Task Force-North, nongovernmental organizations and families to inform them that the state's family shelter system is "at capacity," essentially discouraging more from coming to cities like Boston.

Officials visited the Texas cities of San Antonio, McAllen, Hidalgo and Brownsville—called the most common points of entry for families that later arrive in Massachusetts.

"This trip is an important opportunity to meet with families arriving in the U.S. and the organizations that work with them at the border to make sure they have accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts," Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice, who traveled south, said in a statement. "It is essential that we get the word out that our shelters are full so that families can plan accordingly to make sure they have a safe place to go."

Newsweek reached out to Healey's office via email for further comment.

In October, Healey announced that the state reached its limit of 7,500 families (about 24,000 individuals, half of whom were children). She said that the state could no longer accommodate the influx due to a continued migrant flow coupled with "slower exits" by families in long-term shelters.

"President Biden is stepping up to secure the border while Congress refuses to do its job," Healey said about the new executive orders in a statement to Newsweek. "Congress has repeatedly failed to act on immigration reform, leaving states like Massachusetts to go above and beyond to address this federal problem. It is not sustainable and we need Congress to finally step up and act, now."

To respond to the strain on the system, Healey and her administration in March announced eligibility requirements for sheltered individuals to remain at state-sponsored shelters. The recertification process, effective May 1, included provisions like applying for work authorization, participating in a workforce training program, submitting job applications, taking English classes, and engaging in a housing search.

On June 12, the administration issued more details about the state's new policy on nine-month stays in the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter System (EA) enacted by the Legislature and signed by Healey at the end of April.

Notices of the new guidelines are being released on a rolling basis and will not affect all individuals and families simultaneously, starting with approximately 150 families in early July.

The notices will tell sheltered individuals the following information:

• Their shelter benefit is expiring, and they are required to leave the shelter within 90 days.
• Whether they are eligible for a first 90-day extension.
• How to find out whether they are eligible for a second 90-day extension.

Those who potentially may receive extensions can cite criteria including employment, training program participation, veteran status, disability status, school enrollment, imminent risk of harm due to domestic violence, and imminent placement in housing.

"This policy is a responsible measure to address the capacity and fiscal constraints of our state's emergency assistance system," Healey said. "As Congress has repeatedly failed to act on this federal problem, Massachusetts has been going above and beyond—helping thousands of immigrants get work authorizations, jobs and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes.

"We've enhanced our workforce development and rehousing programs, which have resulted in a steady increase in families leaving the shelter system in recent months. This new length of stay policy will strengthen those efforts to connect families with the resources and services they need to move into more stable housing and contribute to our workforce."

This week migrants are arriving in Norfolk, Massachusetts, for shelter at the former Bay State Correctional Facility that can hold up to 450 individuals, according to WPRI.

A GBH News/CommonWealth Beacon poll conducted by the MassINC Polling Group in March and published in April found that 67 percent of Massachusetts residents deem the migrant situation a "major problem or crisis."

When asked how they felt about the state providing emergency shelter specifically to migrants, 47 percent of respondents said they opposed it and 45 percent said they strongly support or somewhat support it.

Update 6/27/24, 12:38 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Governor Maura Healey.