Former director claims that Massachusetts migrants are using taxpayer-funded shelter beds without proper vetting.

The former director of a migrant shelter in Massachusetts described the state's right-to-shelter laws as causing chaos, with an influx of illegal immigrants overwhelming the state's infrastructure and there being little to no vetting for the surge of border crossers.

Nearly $1.1 billion of taxpayers' money was spent by Massachusetts this fiscal year to house and feed migrants, often in hotels converted to shelters. However, taxpayers have at times been unable to access these shelters due to overcrowding and prioritization of immigrants, according to Jon Fetherston, who served as a migrant shelter director at the Marlborough Holiday Inn from November 2023 to July of last year.

In 1983, the state established a right-to-shelter law that requires it to provide housing for displaced families and pregnant women. However, in 2023, the state's shelters reached their capacity of 7,500 enrolled families, yet migrants continue to use Massachusetts' programs.

During his tenure, Fetherston witnessed numerous instances of violence and mistreatment of children, and he criticized the absence of consequences for their abusers.

Fetherston explained the vetting process, or lack thereof, in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital regarding a man from the Dominican Republic who was accused of possessing an AR-15 and $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized room last month in Revere.

On December 27, 28-year-old Leonardo Andujar Sanchez was arrested by Revere police after his girlfriend reported that he had drugs and a long, black gun concealed under a pink suitcase in their hotel room. The woman, who had been staying at the Quality Inn for three months, informed police that she and Sanchez had acquired the room through a refugee program.

"Fetherston, who worked in the shelter for a brief period, shared with Planet Chronicle Digital that it was impossible to conceal an AR-15 or drugs in the small rooms. He also pointed out that the case manager should have been more vigilant and raised red flags about the individual's attendance and adherence to housekeeping duties."

The lack of security and vetting at the state's migrant facilities was highlighted by Fetherston as an example of the incident.

The state's shelter program is overseen by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, which has security guards at every facility and conducts warrant checks every 30 days. Despite this, Fetherston did not observe such activity during his time in office.

"I have worked and volunteered in various shelters, and all of them have some form of security. However, it's not the level of security that you would expect in a shelter. It's just someone sitting at a desk, which is not much better than what you would have in a corporate office park. I never saw anyone do a warrant check in those shelters."

He stated that the staff at the shelters were mainly selected based on their language proficiency rather than their experience.

Hiring individuals based solely on their ability to speak a specific language, such as Haitian, Portuguese, or Spanish, does not necessarily mean that they are qualified caseworkers or mental health advocates with experience in navigating these issues.

"Case managers often became sympathetic to their fellow countrymen while teaching them how to navigate the system, but not always in the most ethical ways. This led to chaos."

He stated that there was a significant amount of domestic violence, violence against children, and violence against other nationals.

Despite security policies, Fetherston claimed that it was difficult to monitor who was entering and exiting the facility due to understaffing.

""The Revere arrest has been a hot point for me since the third day of my stay in the shelter, as Fetherston stated. 'Who are they?... I didn't check them in. I didn't see them when they arrived. Who were they?... How did this person manage to get past?' 'That's so-and-so's uncle,'" Fetherston said."

Frequently, families would "vanish" – housekeeping would report that a family had not been in their room for three or four days. He would receive calls about residents showing up at the facility, but they would never arrive, or a person whose ID did not match at all would show up.

After a Supreme Court ruling in November, shelters are prohibited from requesting identification or documents from families applying for their short-term shelter program.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey's recent call to further vet emergency shelter residents to ensure that they are in the U.S. legally, with rare exceptions, is impossible due to this distinction.

"Healey stated that the proposed changes are necessary for the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system, aligning with the original intent of the law. These changes will also ensure the safety of the system, support cities and towns in addressing the needs of unhoused families in their communities, and put the state on the path toward a more fiscally sustainable shelter system."

Fetherston stated that even though she can say she will increase vetting, it is difficult to vet someone who has no ID. Additionally, she pointed out that self-identification by migrants of past criminal activities is not likely to occur.

Fetherston stated that she is currently making this statement in an effort to remove this issue from the media and subsequently have someone to blame when the changes do not occur.

Healey's office could not be reached for comment at press time.

Fetherston stated that he has had to reject American citizens who were struggling due to the turmoil at the state's migrant shelters.

He remembered how he would have Vietnam veterans approach the shelter, stating, "I am a Vietnam veteran, I just need a room for tonight," to which he would respond, "I'm sorry. This is for migrants. The public is not allowed. This is for migrants only."

"I couldn't always find a homeless veteran a place on a cold night, but we have migrants now. They live in a shelter where they get three free meals, free dry cleaning, free Ubers, a roof over their head, and free health care. I've had to send a decorated veteran out into the cold at least six times."

Although there are technically limitations on how long one can stay in the state's shelters, these limits are not always strictly enforced, and spots for citizens in need are not always made available.

"Fetherston argued that the people who tried to do their job should not be blamed, but rather the system and the person running the system for not implementing checks and balances. According to Fetherston, the governor had no plan and only wanted to open shelters, which is unique to Massachusetts as it is the only state in the country with the right to shelter. Fetherston also pointed out that nobody specializes in this area, as nobody has ever had to experience it before."