The state commission is encouraging Massachusetts to reduce spending on expensive hotels and reduce the cost of emergency shelter services for immigrants and other families.
Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system, which houses immigrant families and people experiencing homelessness, is expected to spend more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to a state commission. report We are investigating the matter. The report comes as Massachusetts, a sanctuary state that restricts cooperation with federal immigration authorities, continues to experience financial hardship due to the border crisis and the influx of immigrants into the community. (Related: Democratic mayor says he wants to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city before Trump takes office)
The draft report suggests cutting spending on the most expensive accommodations for immigrants, such as hotels and motels. Advance report I found it It can cost as much as $300 per night to house immigrants in hotels and motels in the state, he said.
“Since EA’s shelter system reached capacity of 7,500 families last year, approximately 50% of families have been staying in hotels and motels across the state,” the report states. “While the European Commission recommends limiting reliance on hotels and motels in order to provide maximum service for families and increase the financial and operational efficiency of the system, , we recognize that it may be a last resort to rush capacity during sudden changes in demand.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Data suggests that hotels and motels are the most expensive type of shelter in the EA system,” the report concludes. The state’s shelter capacity and system costs have skyrocketed to “unsustainable levels” starting in 2022, it said.
The immigration crisis under the Biden-Harris administration is hitting Massachusetts particularly hard. The state is home to approximately 355,000 illegal immigrants and other inadmissible aliens, with about 50,000 arriving since 2021. According to Center for Immigration Studies.
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has publicly urged undocumented immigrants not to travel to Massachusetts and offered them plane tickets to leave as part of an effort to crack down on the crisis in her state. asked the residents To accept immigrant families. As the state continues to attract illegal immigrants, the number of deportations is also increasing.
Despite the growing pain of mass illegal immigration, the governor has steadfastly opposed President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown plans, saying the state’s law enforcement agencies will “absolutely cooperate” with mass deportation efforts. “I don’t,” he admitted. The entire state of Massachusetts is considered a sanctuary for illegal immigrants because of laws that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The state Legislature appropriated $639 million for the emergency shelter system in fiscal year 2025, according to the report. But spending projections are expected to reach $1.094 billion, leaving a shortfall of about $455 million in the fiscal year.
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