Massachusetts police ousted dozens of migrants from makeshift sleeping areas on concrete floors and benches outside a public transport station Monday, NBC10 reported.
The Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) said a total of 47 migrants – half of the children – spent the night outside the Wollaston Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station in Quincy, according to NBC10. Apparently, the situation unfolded because BIJAN, who had flipped the bill for hotel rooms for the migrants the last few nights, didn’t have sufficient funds to make further reservations, NBC10 reported. (RELATED: ‘We Do Not Have Room’: Sanctuary State To Offer Plane Tickets For Migrants To Leave)
Dozens of migrant families spent the night outside the Wollaston MBTA station in Quincy after the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network ran out of money and was no longer able to sponsor their hotel rooms. https://t.co/OevXeikzV0
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) August 28, 2024
“Police got here early this morning and woke us up, telling us we couldn’t stay here,” Wisler Sol, a Haitian migrant told NBC10.
Charitable groups blamed the situation on limited shelter space and new rules that went into effect in Massachusetts earlier in August, the outlet reported.
Massachusetts governor Maura Healey introduced measures at the beginning of the month aimed at reducing the number of migrants depending on shelters, according to NBC10.
The governor’s office said that the measures have helped 3,800 families get work permits, allowing hundreds of families to leave the shelter, NBC10 reported.
Still, the governor’s plan has also pushed out 200 families who are not considered priority, the outlet reported.
“There’s no space for us. You don’t do that. For me you don’t do that, it’s a lack of respect,” Eisner Dervil, another migrant from Haiti told NBC10.
“There is a rainy day fund for emergencies that the state of Massachusetts has and I don’t know what else they think constitutes an emergency, but to me, this seems like one,” BIJAN’s Annie Gonzalez told NBC10.
“Anyone’s babies should not be sleeping on the ground in America,” Fahema Rahman, a migrant herself who volunteered to donate food to the families. “There are the smartest people in the country here, we should be able to solve any problem.”
“It’s terrible that families slept outside last night,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “We have asked the nonprofit assisting them to bring them to our family welcome centers today so that they can be referred to a temporary respite center.”