SAVANAH HERNANDEZ REPORTS: Massachusetts spending $5,400 monthly per room for migrants, overwhelming small towns and cities outside of Boston 

A former hotel outside of Boston that has since been turned into a migrant shelter has come under scrutiny after it was discovered that the commonwealth of Massachusetts is paying the hotel $5,400 a month per room to house migrants. Citizens of Massachusetts are getting increasingly angry as migrants begin to overwhelm small cities and towns outside of Boston. 

A former Fairfield Inn hotel, located in Dedham, about 30 minutes outside of Boston, currently has all 149 rooms of the hotel filled with migrants. During an investigation into state contracts with these hotels, it was discovered that these rooms which were previously rented out for $129 per month, are now being rented for $180, or $5,400 per month for a room— without a kitchen. 

Online, reviews for reservations for this hotel from as recently as October of 2023 read, "I received an email on SEPTEMBER 13 that my rooms were CANCELED. NO explanation/instructions or offer to help rebook. I called the hotel directly and a man told me that all reservations were canceled. 'The cancellation is to house the migrants. The state took us over,'" the review states. 

Speaking to the migrants on the premise, they shared that the rooms are small and that they aren't being given enough resources, such as beds and cribs for their children. Two migrants gave us a tour of their rooms, complete with beds and a private bathroom and did share that they are being provided with three meals a day. 

Multiple migrants on the premise also had their own vehicles and one complained of having his work permit but having trouble finding a job.

Dedham is one of the many smaller towns outside of Boston where migrants are being taken to in an effort to quell the city's migrant crisis. Massachusetts, which has a "right to shelter" law is required to shelter migrants but is struggling to do so due to the influx and anger from residents. 

Norfolk, Massachusetts, a small town of less than 12,000, is about to receive 450 migrants that are set to be housed at the Bay State Correctional facility, a former state prison that was decommissioned back in 2015. The residents of this small town have been very outspoken against the move, sharing that they were not consulted and the governor had the ultimate say due to the facility being state property. 

Residents were not given a time frame as to when the migrants would be arriving, with state representatives sharing that migrants will be arriving in mid-June.