A Massachusetts couple who volunteered to take in illegal immigrants were surprised when a family of four showed up at their door less than an hour after registering.
As the state’s shelters reached capacity and immigrant families slept overnight inside Boston Logan International Airport, Colin and Jessica Stokes of Brookline, Massachusetts, decided to step up and make a difference. .
“We thought, we need to put sheets on the bed. How many people are coming? Where are they from? How old are they? We really didn’t know anything,” Jessica said. he told WBZ News on Friday.
“The need is clearly overwhelming,” Colin agreed.
The family of four was part of a group of migrants sleeping at the airport.
The parents and their two children had traveled all the way from Chile to Texas before heading to Massachusetts.
The two children are currently waiting to be admitted to school. Parents stressed that it would likely take several months for the appropriate authorization forms to be received and approved while they looked for work.
Jessica said it was incredible to observe from the front line how difficult the situation was.
“The family is lovely. They’re so grateful. It’s been amazing,” she added.
The immigration crisis is complex for Massachusetts.
The state’s newest emergency shelter in Roxbury, near Boston, reached capacity (400 people) in just one week.
Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced in late January the decision to move migrants to the state-run Melnea Cass Recreation Center after other facilities in the state that have served as residential shelters, such as Logan Airport, have served as shelters. “It was born out of necessity,” he said. I feel overwhelmed.
“We just do what we have to do at this point,” she added.
Local officials are considering a Boston Seaport office building as a site for another shelter, but Boston City Councilman Ed Flynn said it would be “impossible to start” because there is no running water on site. Stated.
The Stokes hope other families will use them as a case study and decide to welcome immigrants into their homes.
“Just the dysfunction is really disheartening. And I know there are really well-intentioned people working as hard as they can. It’s an emergency. But it’s painful to see the amount.” said Jessica.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Stokes family for an update.
