Residents of a New England town are outraged that they were not consulted about a plan to convert a former state prison into a taxpayer-funded immigrant shelter for hundreds of people.
The state is using a former minimum-security dormitory-like facility in Norfolk, Massachusetts, to house immigrants and homeless people currently barricaded at Boston’s Logan International Airport and on waiting lists for emergency shelter programs. Bay State Correctional Center is being renovated. The facility is located on the grounds of the Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI), a medium-security prison.
Norfolk has a population of about 11,500 people and voted heavily for President Joe Biden in 2020.
The governor’s office told Fox News Digital that the shelter will operate starting next month as a “temporary safety net site for families experiencing homelessness.” Families staying in the area are subject to a 30-day activity requirement and a monthly recertification process to prove they are taking action toward obtaining work permits, jobs, and housing.
Massachusetts immigrant children were living among sex offenders as Democratic governor claimed shelters were ‘vetted’: Report
Residents and local officials expressed frustration over the sudden news that the state would open an emergency shelter for immigrant families at the former Bay State Correctional Center (pictured). (Google Earth)
But at Wednesday’s tense special committee meeting, about 300 residents gathered, wary of a new facility opening in their town, and accused the state of silencing residents about it. did.
Residents said they want answers about the impact on schools, police and emergency services, noting the city’s budget is already stretched thin.
“Honestly, we don’t want that here. We don’t want that,” resident John Semas said, according to GBH.
“And it doesn’t make us bad people, it doesn’t make us less caring, it doesn’t make us bad fathers.” Semas said, “Save Norfolk: No Shelter”, the magazine reported. He was among a small number of people wearing shirts and placards with the inscription.
He blamed Democratic Gov. Maura Healey for leaving to attend a climate change conference at the Vatican without talking to voters.
Healy State declared a state of emergency last summer due to a surge in immigration into the state, but the Bay State has struggled to navigate the crisis. The state has previously said it has a duty to accommodate immigrants, citing a 1983 sanctuary city law passed to address relatively small numbers of homeless families and pregnant women, but critics say The law does not apply to immigrants who: Not a US citizen.
In the 2020 presidential election, 4,100 Norfolk residents voted for President Biden, compared to 2,570 who voted for former President Trump. Massachusetts is a deep blue state, with nine members of the House of Representatives and two senators being Democrats.
Haitian immigrant charged with rape of 15-year-old girl joins controversial parole program: sources
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey was criticized for leaving to attend a climate change conference at the Vatican without interacting with local residents. (Jonathan Wiggs/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Board President Elect Jim Lehan said he initially learned about the shelter plan through social media and was upset that the town was not given advance notice.
“It’s their building [the state’s] According to GBH, they don’t need our permission to use it, but it would have been nice to partner on the front end to understand what their plans are,” Rehan said. .
It is unclear how many migrants will be sent to the facility, which closed in 2015.
Scott Rice, the state’s emergency relief director, said the facility is in good condition and has space to house about 140 families.
Rice said in a statement to Fox News Digital that families will have access to showers and bathrooms on each floor. The facility also includes a cafeteria, gymnasium, large common room, and offices used for incident management and administrative activities.
Rice added that there will also be a playground for children, along with classroom space for adults to learn English and receive vocational training.
The site will be staffed 24/7 by a contracted service provider, and families will be provided with transportation to and from the site. The razor wire on the fence surrounding the facility will be removed and the gate will remain open, allowing families to come and go as they wish, the governor’s office said.
It’s unclear how much the entire operation will cost taxpayers.
Before opening, officials will hold community meetings to answer questions and connect with community members who want to provide sports, art and music programs to children in the shelter, Healey’s office said. That’s what it means.
The government said it had already met with Norfolk councilors, the town manager, members of the task force and local officials, including fire chiefs and police chiefs.
The state is renovating the Bay State Correctional Center, a former minimum-security dormitory-like facility in the town of Norfolk, to house immigrants currently holed up at Logan Airport. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
At Wednesday’s meeting, resident Lauren Vives said the shelter could pose a financial burden to the town, which has two elementary schools, an ambulance, a small police and fire department, and no grocery store. He said there is.
“The proposal to increase the population of our town by 4% overnight is ridiculous,” Vivas said, according to GBH. She said the plans showed a “lack of respect” for the town.
Not everyone was against the shelter. Resident Lucy Bullock Seeger said it was a good idea to help immigrants and said Norfolk was not a city of fear.
“I can’t imagine trying to find a better life while being a mother of young children,” she said, according to GBH.
Fox News Digital reached out to Governor Healey’s office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
