Massachusetts allocates $10.5 million to resettle 400 illegal immigrant families in the state

The state of Massachusetts has allotted $10.5 million in taxpayer funds for contracts with eight resettlement agencies that will work to move 400 illegal immigrant families out of state-run shelters by the end of the year.

The one-year pilot program created by Gov. Maura Healey's administration is the first of its kind in the country. The program aims to relieve some of the strain placed on emergency shelters which have been overcrowded due to a surge in illegal immigration at the hands of Democrat President Biden's open-border policies. 

The Boston Herald reports that the program acts as a similar resettlement approach to those that have been utilized at the federal level in the past with individuals who came to the US from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The resettlement agencies will be tasked with finding and placing illegal immigrants into apartments. The agencies will also try to find them jobs to ensure "that they're self-sufficient," according to Jeff Thielman, CEO of the International Institute of New England.

Thielman, whose agency works predominately with Haitian migrants, told the Herald: "We’re not getting the same amount of money the Afghans got, or even the Ukrainians got."

"What the state is saying is, 'Okay, well, the federal government is not doing what it did for Ukrainians and Afghans and we’re going to do the best we can with the resources we have so we’re going to let the resettlement agencies use their model and apply it to this new population,'" said Thielman.

Over the past year, Massachusetts has struggled to contain the newfound illegal immigration crisis, which has specifically impacted the city of Boston and the greater Boston area in a negative manner.

Emergency shelters have been operating at maximum capacity, and a section of the Boston-Logan International Airport has been morphed into a temporary shelter to house illegal immigrants. A recreation center in Roxbury was also made over into an emergency shelter, to the dismay of local residents who used the center for sports and other activities.

Democrat Gov. Healey said in a statement that resettlement agencies "have long played a critical role in helping families in Massachusetts get connected with housing, jobs, and other critical resources."

"We’re grateful to the Legislature for providing this funding to expand their efforts so that we can meet the needs of families in our emergency assistance shelter system. Our communities and our economy will be stronger because of this partnership," said Healey, per the paper.

State residents have grown critical of the illegal immigration crisis exasperating throughout their cities.

Boston residents living in one of the city's most expensive neighborhoods expressed extreme outrage last month over the city's plans to turn an office building into an emergency shelter for illegal immigrants.

The Boston resident expressed grievances about the decision at a community meeting. Among the greatest concerns were safety and security, which have been raised in sanctuary cities across the US.