Migrants sleeping on the floors of Boston’s Logan International Airport will soon be banned from doing so, and Massachusetts officials are telling migrants at the southern border that there is no room in their shelter system.
More than 100 migrants are using the facility as a shelter – lined up on the floors of the building. Boston’s main airport with temporary beds and air mattresses — but they will be banned from doing so starting July 9 and will instead be offered taxpayer-funded free housing at a former minimum-security dormitory-like facility in Norfolk, Gov. Maura Healey announced Friday.
The state has renovated Massachusetts’ Bay State Correctional Center, formerly a minimum-security dormitory-like facility, which opened last week and can house 140 migrant and homeless families, or about 450 people. The facility is located on the campus of the Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI), a medium-security prison.
Democratic city furious as migrant shelter opens in neighborhood
Migrants spend the night on the floor at Logan Airport. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
The Haley administration said migrants would also be offered transfers to other new “safety-net” sites.
“The administration has worked diligently in recent months to increase the number of families leaving shelters and moving into more stable housing,” state Emergency Assistance Director Scott Rice said in a statement.
“With this progress … we are now in a position to end the practice of families staying overnight at the airport. This is in the best interest of families and passengers and Logan employees, as the airport is not an appropriate place for people to seek shelter.”
Norfolk has a population of about 11,500 and Residents were angry last month When they learned the facility had been converted into a migrant shelter, they rushed there. The city voted overwhelmingly for President Joe Biden in 2020.
The move comes after the administration said it had sent a state delegation to the border to tell border officials, NGOs and migrants that there was no space left for shelter in Massachusetts.
Migrants continue to arrive at Boston airport, with over 100 sleeping on the floor
The migrants will be provided with free taxpayer-funded accommodation at a former minimum-security hostel-like facility in Norfolk. (Google Map)
Healy administration He said he is also releasing ads in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole to let new immigrants know they must make plans for housing in Massachusetts, which will not include Logan Airport or the state’s shelter system.
Haley declared a state of emergency last summer. flood of migrants The number of migrants entering the state has surged, and the Bay State has struggled to cope with the crisis. The state has previously said it is obligated to meet the needs of migrants because of its 1983 sanctuary city law, which was passed to deal with the relatively small number of homeless families and pregnant women, though critics have said the law does not apply to migrants who are not U.S. citizens.
The administration said Friday that it is increasing its efforts to provide migrants with housing assistance, work authorization applications, job placement and English classes.
As a result, more than 300 families have left the facilities since May, the administration said.
These numbers are expected to rise as the administration implements a nine-month stay period for emergency shelters, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Haley. She also implemented 30-day engagement requirements, where migrants must demonstrate that they are taking action toward obtaining a work permit, job, and housing.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Haley delivers her inaugural address in the House Chamber of the Statehouse in Boston on January 5, 2023. She has announced that migrants will no longer be allowed to stay at Logan Airport. (AP Photo/Steven Sain)
Rice told Fox News Digital last month that families living at the Norfolk site will have access to showers and bathrooms on every floor. The facility also has a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a large common room and offices that will be used for case management and administrative activities.
Playgrounds are being built for children, as well as classrooms for adults to learn English and receive job training, Rice said.
The site is staffed 24/7 by a contracted service provider and families are provided with transportation on and off the site. The governor’s office says the razor wire on the fence around the facility has been removed and the gates will remain open, so families are free to leave and return as needed.
It’s unclear how much the whole operation will cost the taxpayer.
