Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts proclaimed a state of emergency after her state was overwhelmed by a significant surge of migrants.
The decision was made on Tuesday, August 8, in the face of rising pressure from conservative groups and an escalating housing crisis.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the state shelters are under strain as 5,600 migrant families, or 20,000 people, have landed in Massachusetts. This is an increase of 80% from just 3,100 families a year ago.
Children, pregnant women, and newborns are among the migrants. According to Healey, around 50 migrant families have arrived in state shelters in the last 48 hours alone, significantly straining the state’s shelter system.
“It’s exponentially more than our state has ever served in our emergency assistance program,” Gov. Maura Healey was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
It should be highlighted that, under its so-called right-to-shelter policy, Massachusetts is legally obligated to offer refuge to immigrants.
Governor Healey requests assistance from the federal government
The governor has now requested financial assistance from the federal government. She has also promised to seek to expedite work authorizations so that immigrant families can find work and become self-sufficient.
“Our new arrivals are most eager to work. The last thing they want is to be dependent,” the governor wrote in a letter to the US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
She has also urged local non-governmental organizations to increase their efforts to assist people in need of refuge.
The state has established a migrant aid fund
Furthermore, the state has launched a new project to establish a migrant relief fund with the goal of gathering funds to aid migrants.
The funds raised will be used to cover a wide range of essentials and services for migrants. These include food, clothing, diapers, and transportation, as well as important services such as health exams, translation support, legal advice, and English language training.
Conservative groups are on the offensive
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, represented by Paul Diego Craney, a conservative group, urged Gov. Healey and state legislators to repeal the state’s right-to-shelter provision.
“Perhaps it is time for the governor to take a trip to the southern border to see firsthand the open southern border crisis,” he said in a statement.
The executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Geoff Beckwith, stated that over 80 cities and towns in the state have already felt the impact of incoming migrants and have expressed support for the emergency designation.
