Join WhatsApp Channel
Join Telegram ChannelMassachusetts Republicans have filed a formal request with the state government seeking information about the alleged “billion-dollar secret spending related to the migrant crisis” as the Bay State grapples with the migrant crisis.
In a statement from the state Republican Party, MassGOP, the group demanded that Gov. Maura Healey's administration provide a detailed breakdown of the costs the migrant crisis has caused to state residents.
“The Healey-Driscoll administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion in spending in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark,” MassGOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said in a statement. “They have withheld critical information about 600 incidents involving police, firefighters, and EMTs. By blocking reporters at every turn, the administration has stifled the flow of information to the public.”
OVER 100 STUDENTS WITHOUT BUS SERVICE AS MASSACHUSETTS FUNDS BUSES FOR MIGRANTS
Migrants sleep on the floor at Boston's Logan International Airport. (David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images/File)
Gov. Maura Healey, a Massachusetts Democrat, examines Army cots set up on the gymnasium floor as state and local officials tour the Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex in Roxbury in January. (Getty Images)
In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Carnevale demanded details of state funding to provide housing for migrants.
MIGRANTIC CRISIS EXPECTED TO COST MASSACHUSETTS TAXPAYERS $1.8 BILLION OVER NEXT TWO YEARS
In the FOIA request, Carnevale asked the Healey administration to provide the names of government and private entities that provide emergency housing to migrants, where the emergency housing is located, all contacts regarding public safety issues, and all incident or police reports.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency last year due to the rapid increase in the number of migrant families arriving in the state. (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Carnevale argued that the Democratic supermajority has created a “veil of secrecy” around the migrant crisis.
“Today, the Massachusetts Republican Party stands against the veil of secrecy and obstruction efforts of the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Democratic supermajority,” she said. “We join the Massachusetts press in saying: Enough is enough. The public deserves transparency. Expose the details of the vendors profiting from this crisis and the public safety issues impacting our communities.”
“On behalf of the people of Massachusetts, we demand accountability,” Carnevale added.
The report notes that Massachusetts has already spent more than $1 billion to house migrants. (iStock)
The MassGOP's request comes after the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) published a report on July 24, which predicted that Massachusetts would struggle to handle the growing number of migrants arriving in the state.
MIGRANTS TO BE EXPELLED FROM LOGAN AIRPORT AS GOVERNOR DECLARES SANCTUARY STATE FULL
The report notes that the state has already spent more than $1 billion to emergency aid accommodation program that houses migrants.
“The cost of temporary housing and shelter to Massachusetts taxpayers is enormous, but it pales in comparison to the costs that will accrue in the future if the people in temporary shelters today remain in the Commonwealth long-term,” wrote Jessica Vaughan, CIS director of policy studies.
In addition to housing, taxpayers will also have to bear other costs, including education, social services, medical care and public safety.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The report estimates that the number of “illegal and inadmissible” migrants living in Massachusetts is approximately 355,000, with 50,000 new arrivals since 2021. It also said that 10,000 migrants were minors and 8,500 were unaccompanied.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the MassGOP and Healey's office for comment.
Joshua Nelson of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.