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The decision to close a community center in Massachusetts so that the facility can become a temporary shelter for immigrants has sparked negative reactions from city residents.
Gov. Maura Healey’s office said Wednesday that the decision to move migrants to the state-owned Melnea Cass Recreation Center in Roxbury, a Boston neighborhood, was “born simply out of necessity,” like other facilities in the states that have served as refuges. including Logan Airport, have been overwhelmed, WHDH reported. “We just have to do what we have to do right now,” she added.
But the governor’s decision does not sit well with some officials or residents, who have expressed disappointment that the government takes resources from its citizens to care for those who recently entered the country.
“I think it’s a disaster for the youth because our youth don’t have enough,” one resident told WHDH.
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu shared a similar sentiment about the state’s proposal, saying it was “very painful,” WBUR reported.
“I’ll start by saying there are no good options,” Wu said during an appearance Monday on WBUR’s Radio Boston.
“The first community where this is proposed is Roxbury, a community that for so many decades has faced disinvestment, marginalization and disproportionate outcomes. It is very painful and painfully familiar,” Wu added. “It feels like a particular inflection point when we’re now taking offline buildings that are loved and well-used and dedicated to community programming because we now have such a crisis.”
Wu said city officials were “working with the state to try to identify other options,” WBUR reported.
The Melnea Cass Recreation Center has been closed since Sunday in preparation for the arrival of migrants, according to the report. Crews have been seen dropping off supplies at the facility to turn it into a shelter since Tuesday.
The state intends to stop housing immigrants at the facility in May and reopen it to the public and resume normal functions in June.
Emergency Assistance Director Lt. Gen. Scott Rice told Fox News Digital that the state appreciates the cooperation it has with the city and hopes to help build the city for the long term.
“On January 31, 2024, the Cass Recreation Center will begin serving as a temporary safety net site for families in need of shelter, especially those who have been sleeping at Logan Airport,” Rice said. “We appreciate the collaboration of the city, Roxbury elected officials and the community who worked with us to ensure we could provide families with a safe and warm place to stay while minimizing the impact on the Roxbury community. We are working to relocate recreation programs, ensure the recreation center and pool can reopen in June, continue to make improvements to the center for the long-term benefit of the community, and prioritize diverse and local vendors.”
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Once completed, it will house up to 100 families or 400 people awaiting more permanent housing.
Earlier in the week, the governor said she had visited other areas of the state to accommodate the migrants, who are currently housed at Logan Airport. According to MassLive, “about 80%” of the immigrants are from Haiti.
“We’ve been all over the state,” Healey said Tuesday, WHDH reported. “Now we go to Boston.”
There are other overflow sites housing immigrants in Quincy and Cambridge.
Councilwoman Tania Fernandes Anderson, who represents the area where the Melnea Cass Center is located, said many residents feel displaced by the governor’s decision.
“Voters have been saying loud and clear, ‘They’re displacing us,'” Anderson said.
Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told the outlet that the decision to house the immigrants was “difficult.”
“It’s complicated,” he said. “It’s not an easy situation.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the governor’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
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