Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey on Monday ordered all state emergency evacuations after an illegal immigrant was arrested with an AR-15 rifle and hundreds of thousands of dollars in drugs in a taxpayer-funded hotel room. An on-site inspection was ordered.
In late December, 28-year-old Dominican Leonardo Andujar Sanchez was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, heroin trafficking, and other charges after local police in Revere, Massachusetts, discovered an AR-15 rifle and approximately five rounds of ammunition. I was arrested. Kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine were stored in his Quality Inn hotel room. The hotel is one of 128 hotels and motels in the state. It has been used to house asylum seekers and other homeless families since the immigration crisis began. (Related: Illegal immigrants rush to lawyers ahead of President Trump’s swearing-in)
Healey has previously defended the state’s sanctuary policy, but appears to blame Washington, D.C., for the shocking arrests.
“It is outrageous that this individual took advantage of our nation’s shelter system to engage in criminal activity,” the Democratic governor said Monday. According to To NBC10 Boston. “Our administration is in contact with both local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities regarding this matter.”
Items found in Andujar’s possession at the time of his arrest. Image courtesy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This further highlights the brokenness of our federal immigration system and the urgent need for Congress and the White House to address border security legislation to prevent criminals from entering our communities,” Healey said. continued. “Massachusetts should not continue to have to deal with the consequences of federal inaction.”
On Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that Mr. Andujar is an illegal immigrant who entered the United States illegally for vacation during 2024. When authorities executed a search warrant on the Quality Inn hotel room where Mr. Andujar lived, they not only found an AR-15 and ammunition – which is illegal for undocumented immigrants to possess – but were also found in circulation. As well as cocaine and fentanyl valued at $750,000.
The arrest marks the latest high-profile criminal case within Massachusetts’ shelter system. A Haitian man was arrested in March on suspicion of raping a disabled minor at a Comfort Inn in Rockland, which was used to house immigrants.
The governor announced Monday that he has ordered inspections of all shelter facilities in the state, including hotels in Revere, according to NBC10 Boston. She also ordered a review of Massachusetts’ intake process to determine whether other steps need to be taken to prevent criminal activity at these emergency shelters, which house thousands of illegal immigrants. Ta.
The Center for Immigration Research estimates that about 355,000 illegal immigrants and other inadmissible aliens live in Massachusetts, with about 50,000 entering the state since 2021. A state commission report released in November predicted the state would spend more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2025 on an emergency shelter system to house immigrants and other families.
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