Their mission, as reported by The Post Millennial, is to communicate to border patrol and immigrants alike that Massachusetts is grappling with an overflow of illegal immigrants, and its emergency shelters are stretched to their limits.
L. Scott Rice, appointed by Governor Healey to manage the shelter system, stressed the significance of this mission. "This trip is an important opportunity to meet with families arriving in the US 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," Rice said. He further added, "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."
The delegation will tour San Antonio, McAllen, Hidalgo, and Brownsville, which are known entry points for families who later relocate to Massachusetts. This move by Healey, who is also a member of President Biden’s national campaign advisory board, comes in the wake of Biden's executive action aimed at simplifying the path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. However, Healey's administration maintains that the trip was scheduled weeks prior and is not a reaction to Biden’s border policies.
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Massachusetts, much like New York City, has a "right-to-shelter" law that obligates the state to provide emergency housing to homeless families or pregnant women. With the surge in the number of illegal immigrants, Healey imposed a cap of 7,500 families in the emergency shelter system last October and established overflow sites for additional families. At present, the state shelters house 7,379 families, with another 413 in overflow sites.
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In an effort to manage the ongoing crisis, Healey’s administration will start enforcing a maximum shelter stay of nine months. The administration has already expended $674 million on the emergency shelter system, and projections suggest that this figure could approach a staggering billion dollars by 2025. This scenario underscores the need for a more sustainable solution to the immigration issue, one that respects individual freedom and the principles of limited government.
