The Healey administration shelled out greater than $6,800 to ship a five-person workforce to the southern border in Texas to “educate” individuals of a shelter scarcity right here, in line with her workplace.
The journey was pitched as one other try to curtail the variety of migrants arriving in Massachusetts and make connections with federal immigration officers who had been coping with a surge in border crossings down south.
A spokesperson for the governor mentioned Friday the group spent a complete of $6,804 on the four-day journey this week, together with $2,028 on accommodations, $3,903 on flights, and $872 on floor transportation.
Scott Rice, a retired Nationwide Guard basic who oversees the state-run shelter system, mentioned the journey was an “important opportunity to meet with families arriving in the U.S. and the organizations that work with them at the border to make sure they have accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts.”
“It is essential that we get the word out that our shelters are full so that families can plan accordingly to make sure they have a safe place to go,” he mentioned in an announcement earlier this week.
The group visited areas in San Antonio, McAllen, Hidalgo, and Brownsville, the most typical factors of entry for migrant households that later arrive in Massachusetts, in line with the Healey administration.
Healey mentioned earlier this week that the journey was “successful” whilst conservatives criticized the transfer as a “publicity stunt.”
“We don’t have housing available right now, and we wanted to be really clear. It’s something I’ve been saying for a long time, but I think it was important that we be able to communicate directly with folks on the ground,” she mentioned. “I think it’s successful. I think it’s important that we be out there with that message.”
Particulars on how a lot the journey value had been launched solely hours after Gov. Maura Healey banned migrants from sleeping at Logan Airport, the place massive teams have gathered for months to remain in a single day.
The directive takes impact July 9 and the state plans to supply individuals on the airport transportation to overflow shelter websites, together with one which opened this week at a former jail in Norfolk.
Healey didn’t say if police would arrest people who violate the order.
“We’re going to take it as it comes. My hope is through the work that we’re doing and the extensive communication that we’re doing right now with folks, not just at the border, but folks who are in our service provider community, that we’re going to get people relocated,” she mentioned Friday, “and also be clear to people who might think about coming here that this really is an option.”
