The Massachusetts Republican Party filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Tuesday, demanding “transparency” from the administration of Democratic Gov. Maura Healey about an alleged “$1 billion secretly spent to combat the immigration crisis.”
Healy 3x The governor approved a budget for spending on migrant shelters in the Bay Area but did not respond to requests to explain how he has spent $1 billion so far on migrant housing, Breitbart News reported in August.
In some cases, The Boston Globe Revealed The state spent a massive $16.3 million to rent out Boston hotels to illegal immigrants, but wouldn't disclose where the money went even after being asked to share the information through a Freedom of Information request filed by the Journal.
“Even in Massachusetts, which has a poor track record of opening up government records to public scrutiny, the secrecy is extreme,” the outlet reported.
Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale Announced The party has filed its own FOIA request seeking full disclosure of contractors involved in the migrant crisis, payments, and detailed information on 600 incidents involving police, fire and medical emergencies in state-funded emergency housing. press release:
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion in expenditures in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark. It has concealed critical information about 600 incidents involving police, fire and emergency personnel. The Administration has blocked journalists at every turn and impeded the flow of information to the public. This call for transparency has been highlighted by the efforts of Senator Tarr and the Senate Republican Caucus. They proposed an amendment to the Senate budget that would have required all services in the emergency shelter system to be subject to competitive bidding and published in an open checkbook. This amendment, intended to ensure accountability and efficiency, was unfortunately blocked by the Democratic supermajority. A similar effort was proposed by the House Republican Caucus, but was also blocked.
Today, the Massachusetts Republican Party stands against the veil of secrecy and obstructionism of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Democratic supermajority. We join with Massachusetts' press community in declaring that enough is enough. The public demands transparency. Public disclosure of details of the contractors profiting from this crisis and the public safety issues impacting our communities. On behalf of the people of Massachusetts, we demand accountability.
The journey to find answers begins just after late July Report Researchers from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) said Massachusetts taxpayers have already lost more than $1 billion to the emergency shelter system, which is “overwhelmed with the task of housing illegal immigrants and thousands of new immigrants arriving under the Biden administration's controversial parole program.”
The report also said state budget officials project an additional $1.8 billion will be spent on crisis response over the next two years.
“The number of illegal and inadmissible immigrants living in Massachusetts is approximately 355,000, with approximately 50,000 new arrivals since 2021,” the center added, noting that 10,000 of the immigrants are minors and 8,500 are unaccompanied.
