Following a fire at a dilapidated hotel in Sutton, MA that is now being used by the state to house the massive influx of migrants pouring over the country’s open southern border, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance warned Governor Maura Healey that next time, the consequences could be much worse.
“Governor Healey’s politically motivated policies could very easily have cost people their lives yesterday. If Massachusetts had the capacity to take care of these people, we wouldn’t be warehousing them in unsafe hotels in remote, rural parts of the state. Before yesterday’s fire, the Governor was warned by local legislators Senator Ryan Fattman and State Representative Joseph McKenna of the problematic situation. The Governor ignored their warning, and a fire broke out that put many in danger. The Governor needs to stop playing politics and call on President Biden to secure the southern border. This lack of leadership is having many negative consequences,” said Paul D. Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.
The near-disaster at the Sutton hotel comes just days after Senator Fattman and Representative McKenna penned a letter to the Governor outlining several public safety concerns with the site, including a non-functioning 911 phone system and concerns from the Sutton Fire Chief that the hotel was too far from water main access in the case of a blaze. The letter also pointed out that the Healey administration’s own Executive Office of Public Safety had cited the hotel in both May and June over the non-compliant 911 system and stated they were, “endangering your guests, employees and the public.”
“People’s lives, from vulnerable migrants to our first responders, have been jeopardized by the lack of forethought and preparation by the Commonwealth. This is unacceptable. It’s my sincere hope that this fire will serve as a wake up call to the Healey Administration to take the concerns of local Public Safety Officials, and the migrants they are hosting, seriously,” stated Senator Fattman in a post on his office’s Facebook page.
“This is just the latest in a string of political theatrics designed to placate Healey’s political base rather than addressing the underlying problem behind the overwhelming flood of migrants that have maxed out the Commonwealth’s capacity to absorb. Instead of actually addressing the root cause of the problem, which is a failure of Democrat’s immigration and border policies, Governor Healey has been play-acting at a response. She’s declared a state of emergency, but has taken no emergency actions with the declaration. She’s mobilized the national guard, but has them acting as hospitality workers instead of deploying them to assist at the border. There simply aren’t enough places to house all of these people and no number of soldiers are going to fix that issue if they’re staying here in the Commonwealth,” noted Craney.
“We’ve repeatedly said this issue was going to get much, much worse if we continue down this track and we’re already beginning to see that. Yesterday people were hurt and many could have lost their lives. It’s time for Governor Healey to stop the political theater and take meaningful action that will address this crisis where it is happening—at our country's unsecured southern border,” closed Craney.