Immigration

‘Sanctuary’ State Governor Tells Illegal Immigrants Not To Come: ‘Lack Of Shelter Space’

Governor Maura Healey. (Houses of the Oireachtas via Flickr)

The governor of Massachusetts deployed state officials to border communities to warn illegal immigrants not to go to her state because the migrant shelters are already full, according to a report from Politico.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey is sending five state officials to several Texas communities from Sunday through Wednesday to inform non-governmental immigration organizations and other border officials that her state’s emergency system is too overwhelmed and cannot accept any more migrant families, according to Politico. The actions come despite state and local policies that largely qualify Massachusetts as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction.

“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,” L. Scott Rice, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general the governor chose to lead the shelter system, stated to Politico.

“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,” Rice continued.

In addition to Rice, Healey tapped several other top state officials for the trip, including the state’s emergency assistance incident command deputy director, strategy manager at the division of housing stabilization, pre-shelter policy lead for incident command and the executive director of the Massachusetts office of refugees and immigrants, according to Politico. The group is due to make stops in McAllen, Brownsville, Hidalgo and San Antonio, which are all major hotspots for migrant families that eventually make their way to Massachusetts.

Much like Chicago and New York City, the state of Massachusetts has been forced to curtail services amid the ongoing border crisis.

Healey will soon start enforcing a nine-month time limit for shelter stays, per a new law passed by the state legislature, in order to cut down on emergency shelter costs that are on track to reach $1 billion. The governor already capped the emergency shelter system at 7,500 families last year as state resources grew strained.

The Center for Immigration Studies lists Massachusetts as a “sanctuary state,” citing a 2017 court decision that limits law enforcement’s ability to hold a criminal illegal alien solely based on a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

When a Massachusetts judge was facing charges in 2019 for allegedly helping a migrant in her courtroom escape apprehension by an ICE agent, Healey — then the state’s attorney general — described the indictment as “a radical and politically-motivated attack on our state and the independence of our court.” Also, as an attorney general, Healey issued a formal statement condemning then-President Donald Trump’s move in 2017 to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Healey’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.