A Massachusetts senator said the state's emergency housing assistance program would be canceled after an illegal immigrant was arrested on suspicion of possessing an AR-15 and nearly $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. is raising doubts.
Leonardo Andujar Sánchez, 28, of the Dominican Republic, was arrested by Libyan police on December 27 and charged with 11 criminal charges in Chelsea District Court. Ten of the charges involved firearm possession, including one for possessing a firearm as an “alien” and one for possession of approximately 10 pounds of synthetic opiates.
Sanchez was also charged Wednesday in Massachusetts federal court with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was living in a Quality Inn in Revere, where authorities found five kilograms of suspected fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, two rifle magazines, a digital scale and latex gloves in his room, federal prosecutors said. Announced.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston estimated the drugs had a combined value of about $1 million, the report said. Agency press release. The agency was called by local police after Sanchez's arrest and determined that Sanchez had entered the United States illegally.
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The photo shows items in Leonardo Andujar Sánchez's possession when he was arrested on December 27th. (ERO Boston)
Mr. Sanchez was arraigned on December 30 and was denied bail. Judge Jane Prince ordered the court documents sealed, but federal court records contain some details about Sanchez's arrest.
Sanchez's girlfriend called Libyan police around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 27 to report that Sanchez was hiding drugs and a long black gun under a pink suitcase in his hotel room. The woman told police she had lived at the Quality Inn for three months and that she and Sanchez had obtained the room through a refugee program.
Police entered the room where Sanchez was sleeping, woke him up and handcuffed him. Fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, digital scales and latex scales were later discovered, which are commonly used to distribute drugs, Drug Enforcement Administration special agents wrote in federal court records. .
This was revealed by the Housing and Livable Community Secretariat. boston herald Sanchez and his family had been living at the Revere Quality Inn since October 15th.
The office told the agency it conducts warrant inspections of emergency housing every 30 days and has security guards at hotels used for the program at all times.
“Criminal behavior will not be tolerated at EA shelters,” the office said. boston 25. “We took immediate action to remove this individual from the EA system and confirmed that we have filed a detention request with federal immigration authorities.”
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that Sanchez never applied for housing and was “not in any (emergency assistance) programs. But he was in that shelter.” WCVB reported.
State Sen. Ryan Fatman questioned why Mr. Sanchez was able to take advantage of the program when some of Mr. Sanchez's native-born voters were not.
“There was a mother of two whose house burned down in my district a few days ago, and she can't access shelter because she decided to help the world. I mean, this is outrageous. '' Fatman told Fox News Digital.
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The photo shows the Quality Inn in Revere, where Sanchez lived. (Google Maps)
Since 1983, Massachusetts has been the only state in the country to offer a “right of refuge” to homeless families (adults accompanied by one or more children). Over the past two years, the state has spent about $2.5 million protecting illegal immigrants under the Emergency Protection Program, Fatman said.
“What we're starting to learn is that dangerous criminal immigrants are coming to Massachusetts and harming not only our people, but some of the people in the shelters, so we need to bring these people under scrutiny.” The process is flawed,” Fatman said. “And this gentleman named Sanchez is the latest Dominican to traffick in $1 million worth of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, and to possess firearms that are illegal in Massachusetts. He is in a shelter program and is living off of it.'' ”
Residents in the state's emergency shelter program must fall within 115% of federal poverty guidelines, with a monthly income of less than $1,443, plus an additional $515 for each additional person in the household, the Boston Herald reported. be done.
However, the newspaper said Mr. Sanchez has retained a personal lawyer.
“Criminals are so cunning, especially when it comes to drug trafficking, that even if they know there is a free program that could potentially take advantage of all their assets, they won't reveal it… They're not stupid. They're trying to take advantage of our laws and that's clearly what they're doing,” Fatman said.
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Massachusetts Republicans in August accused Gov. Maura Healey of secretly spending more than $1 billion on the state's immigration crisis. (Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“And now it just adds insult to injury, because obviously they can afford to have private representation, but they have rooms funded by public tax dollars to get out there and traffic drugs. I represent people whose homes have burned down, who have children, who have been kicked out of hotels they rent with insurance money, who are on the verge of becoming homeless. “I do,” he continued.
Fatman maintains that unsealing Sanchez's court documents is the first step in understanding the state's obvious flaws in the plan's review process.
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“To move forward in the best direction, we need to know how to change this. And the only way to know that is to unseize the documents, reveal their contents, and figure out how this person It's about knowing who came here and who made the decision to bring them here? ” Fatman said. “As if they're part of a cartel, you're basically inviting a cartel into Massachusetts to harm our families and our children. It's completely unacceptable.”
Massachusetts Republicans in August accused Healey of secretly spending more than $1 billion on the state's immigration crisis.
“The Healey-Driscoll administration hid nearly $1 billion in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark,” Amy Carnevale, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said in a statement at the time. “The government has withheld vital information about 600 incidents involving police, fire and emergency personnel. At every turn, the government obstructs journalists and obstructs the flow of information to the public.”
The Office of Housing and Livable Communities and the governor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
But at Friday's press conference, Healey said Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state and raids are conducted at all shelters to ensure criminals are not living in the state's shelters. He said background checks are being conducted on all tenants in the system.
The Democratic governor said he is disappointed with the federal government's response to immigration and hopes President-elect Trump will address the border issue.
FOX News' Andrew Fong contributed to this report.
