Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr had a perfectly reasonable ask from his colleagues last week, but the Democrats who dominate the body said no.

Tarr filed an amendment to a bill providing funding for the state’s emergency shelter system. His amendment would have prioritized residents of Massachusetts over newly arrived immigrants for available spots in the state’s emergency shelter system, where demand currently outpaces supply.

Unfortunately, the state Senate rejected Tarr’s amendment 12-27; eight Democrats joined the body’s four Republicans in favor, while the rest opposed the measure. 

The Democrats in the Massachusetts legislature did this in a state where there is a waiting list to access the state’s emergency shelter system. About half of the 7,500 families in the shelter system are immigrants, primarily from Haiti, according to Boston 25. These immigrants even include some illegal immigrants, as families only need one person to be in the United States legally to use the system, according to the state’s website.

Last month, the state had 729 families on the waitlist for emergency shelter, and about half of them were immigrants, according to that same Boston 25 report. It means that, under the current system, hundreds of Massachusetts families cannot get emergency housing because the state is housing thousands of immigrant families, including illegal immigrants. 

While the state puts immigrants up in motels and hotels on the taxpayers’ dime, it allows Bay State families to go homeless. Artificially increasing demand for motel rooms has also resulted in motels increasing their prices, driving even more residents to homelessness.

Massachusetts spends several hundred million more on the state’s emergency shelter system than it otherwise would if it had a six-month residency requirement, another provision Bay State Republican legislators support. However, lawmakers should also push for a requirement that those using the emergency shelter system be legal residents of the United States, not illegal immigrants.

If the state put its people and taxpayers first rather than immigrants from all over the world, it could save money, have fewer homeless residents, and disincentivize illegal immigration.

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Instead, the shelter system contributes to the state’s financial woes, which caused Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) to slash funding for over 30 fire departments earlier this year, among other service cuts. The state also has Healey proposing an avenue for regressive municipal tax increases due to this poor financial management.

None of that is to demonize people coming to America searching for a better life. However, the state should prioritize the needs of its citizens. It should not pour money it cannot afford to spend in an attempt to solve the world’s problems.

Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a political reporter for the New Boston Post in Massachusetts.