Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency over surge of migrants seeking shelter: 'Federal crisis of inaction'

Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Tuesday due to the surge of migrants overwhelming the state's shelter system. The governor voiced frustration with the Biden administration's lack of action.

During a press conference on Tuesday morning, Healey reported that Massachusetts has roughly 5,600 families utilizing its emergency shelter system, which she stated is 80% more than in 2022.

Healey called on the Biden administration to provide "urgently needed" assistance, reporting that the state's shelter system is "rapidly expanding capacity in an unsustainable manner."

In addition to announcing a state of emergency, Healey wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Healey blamed the uptick "in the number of families with children and pregnant people" seeking shelter on "numerous factors, among them federal policies on immigration and work authorization." The governor also cited "inadequate production of affordable housing over the last decade, and the end of COVID-era food and housing security programs."

She applauded Massachusetts residents for displaying "collective compassion and inclusivity" towards migrants and being a "beacon to those in need."

"The number of families leaving emergency shelter for safe, permanent housing has dwindled. The number of families exiting shelter has declined by nearly two-thirds since 2019," she wrote to Mayorkas. "These trends are driven by many factors, including a confusing tangle of immigration laws, an inability for migrants to obtain work authorization from the federal government, an increase in the number of people coming to Massachusetts, and the lack of an affordable housing supply in our state."

Healey noted that the state, currently spending over $45 million per month on migrant programs, continues to add more shelter space, but not quickly enough to accommodate the uptick of migrants. Additionally, Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a right-to-shelter law.

"To our partners in the federal government, Massachusetts has stepped up to address what sadly has been a federal crisis of inaction that is many years in the making," she continued. "I urge you to continue pressing Congress to take meaningful legislative action and separately, and importantly, use all available executive power to remove the burdensome barriers keeping people from getting work authorizations, address our outdated and punitive immigration laws, and provide much needed financial assistance to help states like Massachusetts address this national issue."

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment, The Hill reported.

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