Hotels in Massachusetts continue to cancel reservations for the Army-Navy football game to accommodate the influx of unhoused immigrants in the state, leaving many hopeful attendees suddenly without a place to stay when they travel for the game.
Mark Mansbach, a real estate agent from New Jersey, told CBS News Boston that at least 70 of his reservations were canceled in Foxborough, where the Army-Navy game is being held. The cancellations are legal under Massachusetts's right-to-shelter law, which has allowed hundreds of families to be put up in hotels — most of them immigrants.
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Mansbach said Giri Hotel Management, whose hotels booked many of his clients' reservations, told him it had to cancel the football game reservations to continue the migrant housing lease with the state.
"I have never had a hotel take rooms back and give me nothing. They sent out cancellations and walked away," Mansbach said. "Some [clients] have decided not to go, and others found space in Boston. Some I have been able to put into other hotels that I had space left in."
The U.S. Military Academy will take on the U.S. Naval Academy on Dec. 9 at Gillette Stadium. The game usually draws fans — many of them servicemen, servicewomen, and veterans — from across the country. However, due to the influx of illegal immigrants from the southern border, coupled with the state's "right to shelter" law, many who wish to attend the game may face extreme difficulty finding a place to stay.
A Giri Hotel Management spokesperson did not address the cancellations directly in a statement to CBS News Boston but stated they are committed "to providing shelter and support to refugees at our hotels."
"As a gesture of solidarity and humanitarian responsibility, we are opening our doors to those seeking refuge in our community," the statement read. "We look forward to working with local authorities and organizations to ensure a smooth transition for all those who will call our hotels home during their time with us."
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) criticized reports that veterans were unable to find hotel reservations for the football game due to the influx of immigrants.
"Our veterans and service academy graduates cannot find anywhere to stay for the Army-Navy Game because hotels are housing illegal aliens on the taxpayers' dime," DeSantis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "What a farce. When I am president, the days of putting illegal aliens over Americans will be over."
Massachusetts has seen an uptick in illegal immigrant arrivals, causing Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) to declare a state of emergency over the crisis this summer. Under the "right to shelter," immigrant families and pregnant women are legally entitled to places to stay, which has now exceeded just homeless shelters, with Massachusetts putting them in hotels across the state.
On Aug. 31, Healey activated up to 250 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to assist at shelters and hotels as the state struggles with a flood of immigrants.
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Healey said she was concerned over the cancellation reports on Wednesday afternoon, adding that she has asked the Office of Veterans' Services to look into the matter. The office said it was in contact with parties involved to locate veterans who were still in need of a room for the game.
"I am very distressed to learn that any veteran may have been moved from a hotel, who had booked a hotel for that game," Healey said. "As I understand it, those were decisions made by area hotels."