Massachusetts National Guard Deployed To Assist With Spiraling Migrant Crisis As Governor Calls on White House
Ava Loren
2 min read
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, took action on Wednesday by activating 250 members of the state’s National Guard to serve as “rapid response teams” in order to provide assistance to overwhelmed shelters for undocumented immigrants.
Governor Healey had previously declared a state of emergency several weeks ago due to the significant strain on the shelter system, as reported by Fox News.
“Massachusetts is in a state of emergency, and we need all hands-on deck to meet this moment and ensure families have access to safe shelter and basic services,” stated Healey.
The report highlighted that more than 6,000 undocumented immigrants and their families are currently housed in emergency shelters throughout Massachusetts.
Massachusetts, which recognizes shelter as a right, is obligated to provide emergency housing to individuals facing dire circumstances.
To address the immediate needs, National Guard members have been deployed to 40 hotels and motels that lack service providers. Their role, according to Healey, is to facilitate access to meals, medical care, and transportation.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll explained, “The plan that we have in place today with the deployment of the National Guard, which happened just last month, will put National Guard staff, soldiers, in locations as part of a response to our non-service providers, essentially creating rapid response teams in places that we don’t have the ground service contractors or case management services happening on a regular basis.”
WFXT Boston 25 News reported that Driscoll informed the Local Government Advisory Commission that the state is receiving between 20 to 35 families each day seeking shelter, with occasional surges of up to 55 families.
Driscoll emphasized that “all of our typical emergency shelter sites were filled a month ago,” underscoring the urgent need to identify alternative shelter locations.
In June, the state opened Joint Base Cape Cod as a temporary shelter, designed to accommodate up to 60 migrant families. Driscoll disclosed that the base reached its capacity within just two days.
