BOSTON (WHDH) - As Massachusetts converts unused buildings into emergency family shelters, problems are popping up.
The state Department of Housing and Livable Communities kicked 22 people out of state-run shelters between March and April after state officials said they broke shelter rules.
7NEWS learned the people who were taken out of state shelters were removed for “inappropriate actions.” Their violations were described as serious.
“It’s scary because it does speak to the lack of vetting that DHS is doing right now before it releases those individuals into the United States,” said Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Migrants make up about half of the emergency assistance shelter system.
While state leaders won’t say how many of the 22 people who were kicked out are migrants, officials with the Center for Immigration Studies say it raises questions about the backgrounds of people admitted to the shelters.
“When foreign nationals enter the US legally, they are thoroughly vetted for criminal backgrounds before they come into this country,” Arthur said. “They have to provide a police letter and our consuls abroad can check to see whether they have any criminal history.”
Back in March, a Haitian migrant was charged with raping an underage girl in a hotel turned emergency family shelter.
In May, state and Lexington police were called twice to an emergency family shelter in Lexington for disturbances.
When it comes to keeping the shelters safe, a state spokesperson told 7NEWS “The safety and wellbeing of families in the Emergency Assistance program is a priority for the Administration.”
“EA residents are required to adhere to shelter rules and violation of these rules may result in termination from the EA program,” the spokesperson said.
In separate remarks, Gov. Maura Healey called on Congress again Monday to help with the influx of migrants to Massachusetts.
“We’re talking about real people’s lives,” she said. “We’re talking about the wellbeing of our state, Massachusetts having to shoulder the burden disproportionately. It’s just not right and it doesn’t need to be this way.”
Contacted on Monday, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Massachusetts had not contacted the agency about any of these cases.
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