Massachusetts Democrat Gov. Maura Healey has activated the National Guard to help provide food, transport, and other care for migrant families living in emergency shelters.
Healey announced in a statement over the weekend that up to 250 National Guard members will be called on to assist with providing medical care, food, and transportation, as well as helping children enroll in local schools. The governor previously issued a state of emergency to help deal with the recent influx of migrant families to the state.
"We’re grateful to the brave men and women of the National Guard for stepping up to help us ensure that every family in emergency shelter has their needs met, including access to food, transportation, medical care, and education. While we work to implement a more permanent staffing solution, the National Guard will provide an efficient and effective means of delivering these services and keeping everybody safe," Healey said in a statement.
"Our role in the response to the ongoing housing crisis will expand to leverage our multitude of robust and adaptable capabilities in emergency and domestic operations to help those in need," said Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, the Massachusetts National Guard's adjutant general, in a statement.
Massachusetts is currently housing more than 6,000 families in emergency shelters, most of whom are Haitians who were fleeing from the aftereffects of the 2010 earthquake in the country, according to Democrat state Sen. Jamie Eldridge.
"Right now, the nonprofits that are in Massachusetts are stretched and so they cannot provide any more staff," Eldridge told CBS News. "So I think that's where the National Guardsmen and women will fill that gap."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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