Boston resident calls out border crisis, says it was created by Biden administration
Boston resident and law student Jill Jacobson on how rising illegal immigration has impacted the city
A Boston resident and law student is concerned that an already tight housing market in her city is being further strained by the migrant crisis.
Videos from Logan Airport show dozens of migrants sleeping on cots on the floors of one of the airport's terminals, after officials have said shelters are filled to capacity.
"Not every state is obligated to undertake what Boston and Massachusetts have committed to do, because Massachusetts is the only state in the country that has the right to shelter law," Jill Jacobson told "Fox & Friends" host Lawrence Jones on Thursday.
"So there is a legal obligation to provide housing for these individuals, but, Boston already is [in] the midst of a huge housing crisis with its lifelong residents. We have a very tight housing market here, so we're legally obligated to provide housing that, unfortunately, we just don't have."
Boston resident Jill Jacobson (left) and migrants in Boston (right). (Fox & Friends/FNTV)
Her comments coincide with brewing tensions between Texas and the federal government just days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden administration in a case involving a razor wire fence at the southern border. Migrants additionally continue to strain cities and states across the U.S. that struggle to find sufficient space for them.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, for instance, previously activated National Guard members to help provide basic services at the emergency shelter hotels in the Bay State.
"Governor Healey has reached out to the Biden administration multiple times asking for assistance, and her requests have largely fallen on deaf ears, unfortunately," Jacobson said, telling Fox News she believes the crisis is of "the Biden administration's making" and that state and city governments are being left to figure out how to provide migrants with basic needs.
BOSTON MAYOR MICHELLE WU PROPOSES MEASURE TO ADDRESS CITY'S HOUSING SHORTAGE
Costs only warrant more concern.
"It's projected to cost almost $1 billion to handle the migrant crisis," Jacobson continued.
"The average price for a one bedroom in Boston, Massachusetts, has exceeded $3,000, and that's for lifelong residents, which is why we're seeing all of our shelters at max capacity. Unfortunately, incoming migrants are being forced to sleep at places like Logan Airport."
Jones asked Jacobson how she might respond to those who argue that open border immigration policies are "compassionate" to those seeking a better life in the U.S., to which she cautioned that such mentalities are "morally hazardous" considering the situations the migrants must endure.
DEM GOVERNOR COMPLAINS AS MIGRANT SURGE STRAINS HER ‘RIGHT-TO-SHELTER’ STATE'S RESOURCES
President Joe Biden speaks about his economic plan "Bidenomics" at Auburn Manufacturing Inc., in Auburn, Maine, on July 28, 2023. Jacobson blamed the Biden administration's border policies for the crisis. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"You convince yourself that an open-borders immigration policy, for example, is compassionate because everyone deserves the American dream," she said.
"We live in a great country. I would hope that everyone gets the opportunity to contribute to it and be here. It's a great place, but the problem is, when they arrive here, they're not getting the American dream. We do not have the administrative capacity to process work permits. We don't have housing. They end up in really horrible conditions, like sleeping in Logan Airport without showers or food. It's really, really cold in Boston, and they don't have anywhere to go largely, so I would say let's get honest. This is not compassionate and let's be really realistic about the capacity that we have…"
Healey said, Monday, "Frankly, what you’ve seen at Logan has been the situation, and this is why I said months ago that we are reaching capacity here."
The crisis has led to similar measures in Chicago, where migrants have been sheltering at O'Hare Airport.
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Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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