Massachusetts offers illegal aliens free flights out of state as it tightens shelter stay limits

Massachusetts, the nation's only right-to-shelter state, is rolling out additional restrictions on its overflow shelters and offering illegal aliens free plane tickets to go elsewhere, according to a recent announcement from Governor Maura Healey's office.

Starting August 1, the administration will impose a five-day stay limit on its "temporary respite center[s]." This latest announcement comes just weeks after the state began sending out 90-day eviction notices to push some families to leave the state-run accommodations by September 29.

'A serious disconnect between Governor Healey and the actual conditions on the ground in Massachusetts.'

Currently, those residing in the state's overflow sites are subject to a 30-day stay limit with an option to reapply. After the new rules go into effect, individuals residing at the respite centers will have to wait six months or more to be placed in the state's emergency family shelter system.

According to Healey, there are currently 300 families residing in the state's overflow sites.

As part of Massachusetts' "reticketing" program, the state will cover the airfare and travel expenses for illegal aliens interested in leaving the state.

During a Tuesday press conference announcing the changes, Healey said, "I want to be clear, particularly to people outside of Massachusetts who may have gotten word that this is a place to come, that we do not have room here in Massachusetts."

"We've also offered them the alternative path that they may wish to go to family members or ones they know elsewhere, communities elsewhere in the country, and I think that is a humane and appropriate thing to do," she said.

Healey asserted that the five-day stay limit was "in line with the policies of other cities facing similar challenges as Massachusetts and will help give families some relief for a few days while they access the diversion services we can provide, such as reticketing."

Healey previously declared in November that the state's shelter system had reached capacity, supporting roughly 7,500 families. Since then, the administration has relied on temporary overflow sites to provide shelter to illegal immigrants on the waiting list for more stable accommodations.

As part of Healey's recent announcement, the administration claimed it is not seeking to open additional overflow sites to handle the influx of new illegal arrivals.

Those who become homeless because of a no-fault eviction or sudden emergencies, such as floods or fires, will be prioritized to receive shelter space. Families with infants, veterans, and those with significant medical conditions will also be considered first for accommodations.

Paul Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told Blaze News, "These are exactly the type of reforms that people have been asking her to make for months. That it took her this long to get to this point boggles the mind and points to a serious disconnect between Governor Healey and the actual conditions on the ground in Massachusetts. For the past months, the conversation has been all about the need to amend the state's right-to-shelter law. The fact that Governor Healey has felt she's had the power to unilaterally make these changes this whole time and chose to do nothing points to a serious lack of judgment on her part and should be investigated by the legislature."

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