Massachusetts turns former home for veterans into shelter for illegal immigrants

A facility near Boston that once housed veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces has been converted into a shelter for illegal immigrants.

As its name suggests, Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts was once home to American veterans. At the cost of $10 to $30 a day with a $300.00 personal exemption from monthly income, unmarried veterans could live at the facility on a residential or long-term-care basis.

The state has since built Veterans Home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, a city of about 40,000 residents just north of Boston. An announcement from Democrat Gov. Maura Healey claimed that this new, "state-of-the-art" veterans' facility offers eco-friendly living, complete with "geothermal wells and a rooftop solar array," as well as "breathtaking panoramic views of downtown Boston and the harbor."

With veterans now moved to an alternative site, Soldiers' Home was left "vacant and slated to be demolished," another press release from the governor said. Rather than bulldoze the building, though, the state decided to convert it into "a state safety-net site" for illegal immigrants.

The facility will be designated for pregnant migrant women and migrant families with children, the press release said, and approximately 100 families will be placed there. The building is reportedly expected to remain as a migrant shelter for no more than a year.

City Manager Fidel Maltez indicated that Chelsea residents "support" the move to turn Soldiers' Home into a migrant shelter. "I will tell you that the vast majority of the residents, while they were concerned about the impact on the neighborhood, were really supportive," Maltez told the Chelsea Record. "What really shone through was the Chelsea spirit of we do not turn our back on anyone, … and we are best when we stand together."

Secretary of Veterans Services Dr. Jon Santiago likewise appears excited about reopening Soldiers' Home to illegal aliens. "Massachusetts has proven that we can take care of veterans and families experiencing homelessness in our state," he said. "While EOVS formerly operated the building slated for demolition, this project operates independently and will not impact the daily routines or services at the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea."

As of May 1, in order to qualify to remain at this or other "state safety-net" shelters, illegal immigrants in Massachusetts will have to demonstrate each month that they have taken steps to get off the public dole, as Blaze News previously reported. Those steps can include securing work authorization, finding employment, participating in job training, learning English, searching for alternative housing, and even simply submitting job applications.

Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice claimed that this new policy "is a responsible step to address the capacity constraints at our safety-net sites.

"Families will need to demonstrate that they’ve taken action to get on a path toward independence and out of shelter," Rice added.

But Paul Craney of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance believes this program is destined to fail. "So long as we give people, anywhere in the world, a blank check to receive Massachusetts public benefits, people will continue to fight tooth and nail to get here and collect those benefits," he previously told Blaze News.

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