Boston Logan Airport Sheltering Migrants Amid Shelter Crisis
BOSTON (WBSM) — The migrant crisis continues to raise concern in Massachusetts.
The lack of available shelter space in the state has led to dozens of migrants sleeping at Boston Logan International Airport.
Migrants have been arriving at the airport and sleeping on the floors in Terminal E, where most international flights arrive. The Massachusetts Port Authority says that some have flown in, but most have not. Migrants continue to come in at all hours with no place to go.
The state shelter system has been caring for 7,500 families, at capacity, since November. Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced a state of emergency in August due to the influx of migrants seeking help.
On the SouthCoast, Fairhaven's Seaport Inn and Marina was one of many locations for arriving migrants in Massachusetts, though they are leaving for other places. Under state care, migrants were also sheltered at the Orbits Inn in Somerset, at two motels in Wareham, and at lodging facilities in Dartmouth, with many of the migrants coming from Haiti and other parts of Central and South America.
Healey, along with nine other Democratic governors, is seeking assistance from the White House and U.S. Congress to make changes to the migration system. The negotiations include agreements on border security along with federal funding for border and interior states and cities receiving new arrivals.
At Logan, staff are working to direct migrants to welcome centers, where they are given access to services, resources and transportation.
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