As more and more migrant families arrive in Massachusetts, community response is strong, bringing out the best and worst in all of us.
Managing emergency shelters is burning through about $45 million every month. Massachusetts is hoping for some federal help, while local nonprofits, like the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project and the Family Health Center of Worcester, are desperately seeking more donations and more volunteers.
Recent news stories are also reporting that migrant families are now getting harassed by extremist groups. Lino Covarrubias from Jewish Family Services of Metrowest recently had to shuffle families around after the neo-Nazi crew, NSC-131, decided to protest outside their Framingham hotel. The group has been showing up at different migrant housing spots, passing out their propaganda and spewing hate. There have been counter-protests in Quincy, and a surge of volunteers are stepping up to help out, showing that Massachusetts is about welcoming folks, not scaring them away.
Since the summer, Massachusetts has been confronted with this sharp rise in the number of migrant families looking for sanctuary. This has mobilized many people into urgent action across the state. In July, Logan Airport began to make unprecedented changes. In a matter of days, this bustling hub of international travel started functioning as an immediate shelter for migrants. The airport’s dedicated Crisis Response Team has been working tirelessly, aiding approximately 1,600 new arrivals. Logan organized areas for them to find temporary shelters. Beds, typically set aside for travelers with disrupted flight schedules, were provided for these families. Speaking with WBUR, Kate Moore, Emergency Services head for North Suffolk Community Services, described the gravity of the situation. “We’ve come across individuals famished due to prolonged periods without food.” Airport employees and local officers reportedly garnered their own personal resources to ensure that these hungry families would be able to eat.
At this moment, the state’s traditional shelter system is nearing saturation (for details, see front page story). They’ve recorded an 80% increase in occupancy over the previous year. Consequently, officials are compelled to consider alternatives, with motels now housing an estimated 1,706 families. While grappling with these challenges, Massachusetts remains committed to shelter provision, being the only state with a legal law of the right-to-shelter. Voices such as that of Woburn’s Mayor Scott Galvin are suggesting a reevaluation of this very policy. Galvin told the New York Times that the law was passed at a different time, and was not meant to cover what we’re seeing now. “We’re going above and beyond, while some communities around us are not being impacted, and we don’t have endless capacity in our schools,” he said. “The benefits that are bestowed upon migrants make the state a very attractive destination, and without some changes, this challenge is not going to abate.” In September, he described that there are about 150 families living in the city’s hotels, an arrangement he called unsustainable for his 40,000 constituents.
As Massachusetts navigates this crisis, the state’s ethos and commitment to assisting its vulnerable populations is being challenged by its critics. The unfolding of events will eventually shape Massachusetts’ standing and policies on immigration and humanitarian aid in the foreseeable future. New York Mayor Eric Adams, faced with worsening demands on his resources, has visited Latin American regions proactively to understand and look for solutions to the migration crisis in his city.
Massachusetts itself stands at a difficult crossroads. The migrant wave poses not just practical issues but also moral considerations. Making immediate rescue strategies while also pondering over long-term solutions, including international partnerships and policy reevaluations, are happening. As we navigate through this crisis, the state’s commitment to assist this new vulnerable population will continue to be challenged. Meanwhile, every migrant family, whether temporarily housed at Logan Airport or in another transient place, is desperately trying to get work, but the system can take up to 18 months to even give them the right to work in the US. Mary Chin, AACA CEO, states, “Their struggle embodies what America was built on and what America is still all about today: opportunities for self-reliance and economic self-sufficiency.”
