This week, Townhall covered how the Texas Senate passed a bill that would give the state authority to allow state troopers to arrest illegal immigrants who enter the United States illegally. If signed into law, the bill could cause first-time offenders to be convicted of a misdemeanor. But, those who have a criminal record and have repeatedly entered the country illegally could be convicted of a felony. This comes as thousands of illegal immigrants have been sent from the southern border to Democrat-led states to “share the burden” of the border crisis. And now, one state revealed that it is running out of room.
This week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said that its shelter system for illegal immigrants has reached its breaking point. Healey made the announcement in a press release (via Governor Maura Healey):
Governor Maura Healey today announced that, by the end of October, the state will no longer be able to add additional units to its emergency shelter system for families experiencing homelessness. For months, the state’s emergency family shelter system has been expanding at an unsustainable rate to meet rising demand driven by increasing numbers of newly arriving migrant families and slower exits of families in long-term emergency shelter stays. The state will not be able to accommodate more than 7,500 families, or approximately 24000 individuals, and will likely hit this number by the end of the month.
As of October 16, there are nearly 7,000 families with children and pregnant women in emergency shelter, including newly arrived migrant families and longtime Massachusetts residents. About half of the individuals in emergency shelter are children.
“For months now, we have been expanding shelter capacity at an unsustainable rate to meet rising demand. Despite the heroic work of public officials, shelter providers and the National Guard, we have reached a point where we can no longer safely or responsibly expand,” Healey said in a statement.
“Lt. General Rice has extensive experience leading large scale emergency management operations, and we are confident he is the right person to lead us through this new phase of the emergency shelter system. We will continue to help families exit shelter and move into more permanent housing options, connect those who are eligible with work opportunities to support their families, and advocate for the federal government to step up and address this federal problem,” she added.
Earlier this month, Townhall reported how many service members, veterans and their families who booked hotel rooms for the upcoming Army-Navy football game in Massachusetts had their reservations canceled to house illegal immigrants. A spokesperson for a hotel management company that operates hotels near Gillette Stadium, where the game is being held, confirmed that the rooms were “taken back” to house “refugees.”
According to a report from the Boston Herald, a travel agent who managed the travel bookings for many families headed to the game later this year revealed that at least 70 rooms across three hotels were canceled. Reportedly, Massachusetts was recently contracted to put illegal immigrants in hotels in the state.
Before this, Healey had declared a state of emergency over the influx of illegal immigrants seeking shelter in the state, which reportedly includes eight sanctuary cities. And, since last year, residents of the left-leaning Cape Cod began “pushing back” after groups of illegal immigrants have turned up in the area “on short notice.”
