Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) announced a plan to offer illegal immigrants plane tickets if they wish to leave the state.
The announcement came along with updates to the state’s migrant shelter system, Boston 25 News reported. Healey declared the state will limit stays in overflow shelters to five days beginning August 1.
“I want to be clear, particularly to people outside of Massachusetts who may have gotten word that this is a place to come, that we do not have room here in Massachusetts,” Healey told reporters.
“We have been saying for months now that the rapid growth of our Emergency Assistance shelter system is not sustainable. Massachusetts is out of shelter space, and we simply cannot afford the current size of this system,” the governor said in a press release. “Our administration has taken significant action over the past year to make the system more sustainable and help families leave shelter for stable housing. But with Congress continuing to fail to act on immigration reform, we need to make more changes.”
The state will give Massachusetts families with infants, veterans, or those with medical issues priority shelter.
Massachusetts, a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, previously planned to spend $10.5 million on contracts with resettlement agencies to move illegal immigrant families.
About 400 family units are to be moved out of state-run shelters by the end of the year.
New York City is also offering illegal immigrants plane tickets to compel them to move to other cities.
