Massachusetts’ Democratic Governor Maura Healey was forced on Thursday to activate up to 250 members of the National Guard for assistance with the high number of immigrants that the state is receiving.
Its mission will be to help migrants in the emergency shelters that Massachusetts created in the face of influx of immigration. A total of 6,000 families, among them pregnant women and children, are receiving basic services in these shelters while waiting to be relocated.
Healey also activated Regional Rapid Response Teams that will be tasked with overseeing all shelters and will be staffed by state employees, per Fox News.
Massachusetts in a state of emergency due to immigration
These measures are another step to try to alleviate the difficult situation that Massachusetts is experiencing with immigration. Every day, new migrants arrive in the state from Texas, which caused Healey to call a state of emergency at the beginning of the month. She recalled this fact in a press release in which she thanked the work of the National Guard during this crisis:
Massachusetts is in a state of emergency, and we need all hands-on deck to meet this moment and ensure families have access to safe shelter and basic services. We’re grateful to the brave men and women of the National Guard for stepping up to help us ensure that every family in emergency shelter has their needs met, including access to food, transportation, medical care, and education. While we work to implement a more permanent staffing solution, the National Guard will provide an efficient and effective means of delivering these services and keeping everybody safe.
The statement issued by Healey also included the words of Major General Gary Keefe, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard. He briefly explained what his team’s role will be during the state’s migrant crisis:
We are committed to being Always Ready and Always There for the residents of Massachusetts. Our role in the response to the ongoing housing crisis will expand to leverage our multitude of robust and adaptable capabilities in emergency and domestic operations to help those in need.
Currently, Massachusetts has more than 20,000 people in its state shelters, per the Los Angeles Times. Many of them arrive by plane from other states looking for a new opportunity after suffering through the housing crisis.
