Massachusetts governor sends team to border to beg illegal immigrants not to come to ‘sanctuary’ Bay State

“This trip is an important opportunity to meet with families arriving in the US and the organizations that work with them at the border to make sure they have accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts,” Rice said in a statement, according to Politico. “It is essential that we get the word out that our shelters are full so that families can plan accordingly to make sure they have a safe place to go.”

The delegation will visit San Antonio, McAllen, Hidalgo, and Brownsville, common entry points for families who later moved to Massachusetts.

Healey, a member of President Biden’s national campaign advisory board, took this step following a recent executive action by Biden aimed at easing the pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. However, Healey's administration insists that the trip was planned weeks in advance and is not intended to counter Biden’s border policies.

Massachusetts, similar to New York City, has a "right-to-shelter" law mandating the state provide emergency housing to homeless families or pregnant women. As the number of illegal immigrants has surged, Healey set a limit of 7,500 families in the emergency shelter system last October and opened overflow sites for additional families. Currently, there are 7,379 families in shelters and 413 in overflow sites.

In response to the ongoing crisis, Healey’s administration will also begin enforcing a maximum shelter stay of nine months. The administration has spent $674 million on the emergency shelter system and estimates say it could reach nearly a billion dollars in 2025.