Massachusetts governor eyes National Guard amid migrant arrivals
- Gov. Maura Healey promised to send members to help with migrant arrivals
- Massachusetts has seen a nearly 80% rise in migrant arrivals from last year
- The governor declared a state of emergency earlier this month
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declares a state of emergency Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in Boston, citing the influx of migrants to the state in need of shelter. Healey said there are nearly 5,600 families or more than 20,000 individuals – many of whom are migrants — currently living in state shelter across Massachusetts. That’s up from around 3,100 families a year ago, about an 80 percent increase. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)
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(NewsNation) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has vowed to deploy the National Guard in communities where families and migrants have arrived seeking shelter.
Healey on Monday said she would send in 250 members of the National Guard “to make sure that all of these sites where people are housed have someone there,” according to CBS News.
The governor said Massachusetts has run out of service providers, prompting her to seek more funding from the Biden administration.
More than 20,000 migrants have traveled to Massachusetts, which is nearly an 80% increase from last year. Healey declared a state of emergency earlier this month, saying her state is struggling to find permanent housing, health care and shelter for the growing number of people arriving. She also pointed to a shortage of social workers to manage the influx of migrants.
The state of Massachusetts is a right-to-shelter state. That means providing eligible families shelter is legally required through its emergency assistance program.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities issued a statement saying, “The administration is exploring all options to expand family shelter capacity to meet rising demand,” the New York Post reported.
