Amidst an immigration crisis so bad in Massachusetts that some have been sent to Logan International Airport in Boston, the absence of affluent communities on a newly released list of communities slated to absorb the invasion is raising some eyebrows.
Among the communities missing from Gov. Maura Healey’s list is Martha’s Vineyard, the ultra-liberal affluent Massachusetts atoll that made national headlines news last year for shipping 49 Venezuelans off the island last year almost as soon as they arrived at the ultra-liberal affluent Cape Cod atoll where Pride flags and Black Lives Matter signs adorn oceanfront homes and well manicured lawns.
Also absent from the list is the overwhelmingly Democrat-dominated Newton and Cambridge, despite both Boston-neighboring communities being self-appointed sanctuary cities for immigrants.
“The only answer for this can be hypocrisy,” MA Rep. Peter Durant (R) told The Epoch Times, “you advocate for more services for immigrants, but when the rubber meets the road, you don’t want anything to do with them.”
Mr. Durant surfaced the controversy when he filed a record request with Healey’s office on May 31 asking for the names of all the hotels and other facilities the state had secured for immigrants around Massachusetts.
Mr. Durant also asked for the total costs of securing the hotels to taxpayers and how much money the Commonwealth was spending on other provisions such as meals, translators, and public safety for the migrants.
Gov. Healey’s office, which responded a whole month later, refused to disclose the information, claiming that the “Office of the Governor is not subject to the Massachusetts public records law.”
In his June 30 letter to Rep. Durant, Jesse Boodoo, Records Access Officer, instead discussed the state’s legal obligation under a program she called “Emergency Assistance” (EA) to provide a “range of needs” to migrants.
“The uptick in newly-arrived families coupled with challenging housing market conditions in the Commonwealth, among other factors, have resulted in a sizable increase in families seeking shelter in the cited the struggles the Healey Administration was enduring to meet the demands of the influx of migrants into Massachusetts,” wrote Mr. Boodoo.
“As a consequence of this, the shelter system is strained. and we are struggling to not only find physical shelter space but also shelter providers capable of efficiently and effectively connecting families with the robust services necessary for child and family health and well-being and long-term stability.”
According to Mr. Boodoo, the state is currently providing housing for 3,853 migrants, representing a makeup of 1,245 migrant families. In his letter, he named 28 towns where that housing is located. They included mostly working and middle-class towns like Norwood, Taunton, Saugus, Revere, West Springfield, Worcester, Methuen, Norton, Chelsea, Woburn, and Kingston.
Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr poked fun at the inclusion of the affluent and historic town of Concord on the list.
“What the hell is the People’s Republic of Concord doing on that list? Why is poor Concord being lumped in with all the mega-MAGA towns?” Mr. Carr wrote in his July 12 column. Concord is the birthplace of the American Revolutionary War. Like Chelsea, a self-designated sanctuary city.
While none of the towns on the list vote are overly conservative, most had at least 30 percent of its population vote Republican, high for one of the most liberal communities in America.
William Gheen, President of Americans For Legal Immigration, a North Carolina-based PAC that advocates against illegal immigration, told The Epoch Times that Massachusetts has become so well-known as a place that caters to migrants that the state is specifically named in flyers distributed by cartels and coyotes in foreign countries where they promote their smuggling services into America.
He pointed to a recent study released by the American Heritage Foundation, showing that 71 percent of illegal immigrants are being sent to the Republican Congressional District.
The study, featured recently on The Epoch Times TV news show Facts Matter, also showed that in some Republican states like Texas, Latinos have become the majority of the resident population.
Mr. Gheen said that the way the United States government treats immigrants shows that, in many ways, America’s rich and foreign cartels operate and think alike.
“Both want a population that won’t resist their power and influence. In America, the illegal immigrant population is a lot more controllable and governable than American citizens by offering them everything they need at the expense of American taxpayers,” said Mr. Gheen, “On the other side of the wall, if you are dealing with criminals, you don’t mess with anybody who’s connected to those families, because you get knocked out of existence.”
Also not on Gov. Healey’s list is any of the state’s 10 wealthiest communities, which include Dover, Wellesley, Weston, Carlisle, and Lexington, which is adjacent to Concord. The Cape’s other wealthy island—Nantucket, is also absent along with most of the Cape. Only the town of Plymouth, where the Pilgrims first landed on the Mayflower, is included.
Last year, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shipped 49 immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, which designated itself a sanctuary destination under the Trump Administration, island officials claimed they did so because they had no place to house them and no jobs to offer them.
As reported by The Epoch Times, however, the island newspaper was filled with entry-level jobs, and other media outlets reported several Airbnb vacancies on the island at the time.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission, which governs the island, did not respond to recent inquiries from The Epoch Times about any efforts to help the influx of immigrants into the state.
A review of the Martha’s Vineyard Hostel shows several vacancies for the remainder of July and August, and various-help wanted l sites show several job openings for on the island, including dishwasher, laundry attendant, farm field hand, custodian, ticket seller, helper, and meat cutter.
Mr. Durant said he is disturbed by a rising trend for the American government to provide taxpayer-funded services to migrants as Americans increasingly struggle with rising housing, food, and fuel costs.
The program Healey’s office cited in its response to Mr. Durant’s record request was created for the local homeless population, he said.
“They are now calling them homeless, but they are illegal immigrants,” he said, “is that the direction we are going?”
According to the American Community Survey, an arm of the U.S. according to the Census Bureau, homelessness has increased in just the past year in 27 states.
Meanwhile, immigration into America remains at a record high. Last month, just two weeks before retiring. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz reported that his agency has seen a 1,000 percent increase in the number of illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the United States since last year.
Mr. Durant said Massachusetts residents should be concerned that Gov. Healey is unwilling to release the amount of taxpayer money being spent on migrants and what hotels and facilities they are being housed in.
Mr. Gheen said Massachusetts residents may also want to reconsider some of its immigrant-friendly policies, including the recently passed legislation to give migrants driver’s licenses and in-state tuition.
“Those are the gateways for states to become a Third World country in America,” he said.
Gov. Healey’s office also did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the cities of Cambridge and Newton also did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times.