BOSTON (WHDH) - Migrant families who had been sleeping overnight at Logan Airport packed up and left for shelters Tuesday as a new state policy took effect.
At one point amid the state’s ongoing migrant crisis, hundreds of people were sleeping at the airport. Late last month, though, Gov. Maura Healey said families would have to move.
By Monday night, the last night before the ban on spending nights at Logan took effect, the number of families had dwindled to a handful.
Come Tuesday morning, several families were seen loading bags into taxis. A “No Loitering” sign now sits where they would typically sleep.
“We’ve certainly tried to let folks know ahead of time that we are going to be moving in another direction,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll at an unrelated event in Worcester. “We’ve got service providers and others really working closely with families.”
The Healey Administration declared a state of emergency last summer in response to the amount of migrant families coming to Massachusetts.
As the state shelter system strained to accommodate the surge, officials implemented a cap of 7,500 families utilizing shelter facilities.
Speaking with 7NEWS, Jeff Thielman of the International Institute of New England said migrants want to work.
“That is their top priority,” he said.
Thielman is an advocate for migrants. His team has spent months visiting with families at Logan, getting them set up with shelter opportunities and benefits.
“They’re very anxious about where they’re going to live,” he said.
“We’ve been working with a lot of people in the shelter system,” he continued. “They want to get out of the shelter system.”
The state recently implemented a nine-month time limit for families in the shelter system.
In recent weeks, a five-member delegation also went to the US southern border to tell migrants Massachusetts could no longer take them in.
“This will be a work in progress, but we’re looking forward to having it be as smooth as possible,” Driscoll said Tuesday.
Between official outreach and efforts to transform a former prison in Norfolk into a safety-net shelter which can fit 140 families, the Healey Administration said it believes now is the time to end overnight stays at Logan.
Thielman agreed, saying it is easier for organizations like his to work with families if they are all in one location.
“It’s dangerous and unhealthy to have families at Logan Airport for long periods of time…It’s not a safe environment for them,” he said.
As they leave Logan, Driscoll said officials are working to make sure families have somewhere to go. In her comments, she also said some overflow shelters still have capacity available.
According to Healey’s office, 707 families are on the emergency assistance waitlist, but many of those families are at safety-net sites or have found other options.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)