Migrants were sleeping on Boston Logan International Airport’s floor in Terminal E — many of them with children.
Massachusetts' emergency shelter crisis is reaching new heights, with migrants sleeping on the floor of Boston Logan International Airport Terminal E.
It's been a common sight for weeks now, as migrant shelters across the state are struggling with capacity issues.
It's not what they were expecting when told to come to the Bay State.
The west corner of the terminal has been serving as a makeshift shelter for dozens of migrants every night.
Most of the people are Hattians with children, and a few others from Central America, having to sleep on the floor or on benches.
"It's not great being here, it's very cold, my children are sick, and we've been waiting to find out about housing," said one Guatemalan mother who asked not to be identified.
When they wake up the next morning, most are loaded on to taxis and taken to the Family Welcome Center, a day shelter in Quincy.
"What I need is a more permanent place to stay so my child can start going to school," said Marianne Alexis, a Haitian mother who had been staying with a family for a month before she outstayed her welcome and ended at the airport.
In some cases, folks have spent weeks sleeping at Logan. Another Haitian mother of two said she spent a month at the Quincy shelter, but when she left to take her daughter to the hospital, she wasn’t allowed back in.
"I asked what's going on, and they said the shelter is closed because there’s no more room," she said.
The Massachusetts Port Authority said migrants are arriving every day, some fly in but the majority come by land. They're landing at the airport because shelters across the state are at capacity, already caring for more than 7,500 families, with 600 more on a waiting list.
"We're trying our best to house some of the migrants that continue to come," said La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega.
Vega said she also needs help to shelter families.
"It's not easy for us to house or ask family members to house other family members because they're already doing that for us," she noted.
And while shelters ask for help, so is the state.
"I need help to cover the costs and they got to pass reform on the border to fix this," said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey of Washington lawmakers.
With Massachusetts being a right-to-shelter state, word is spreading about a guaranteed place to stay. That's how a father from Haiti knew to come to Boston after crossing the border to Brownsville, Texas.
"I also don't have a place to sleep with my wife and children. We're in a bad situation. We need more help for all of us here," he said. "We came here for a better life."
Healey has already requested additional aid from the federal government through a letter signed with other state governors.
She has also included $325 million for family shelters in her latest budget proposal, with a supplemental budget of $700 million so shelters can keep up with demand through next year.
