YARMOUTH, Mass. (TND) — Officials in the Cape Cod vacation town of Yarmouth say a state plan to house migrants in a local resort has been put on hold.
In a statement, Yarmouth officials called the pause “temporary,” but didn’t provide a specific reason or timeframe.
“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has placed a temporary hold on the proposed temporary sheltering of homeless, migrant families in 80-100 rooms at the Yarmouth Resort, a motel located at 343 Route 28 as part of a State of Emergency which has been declared in Massachusetts,” the announcement reads. “The temporary hold is for the purpose of examining code-related issues at the proposed site.”The decision follows backlash from local residents who objected to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed use of the property as temporary housing for homeless migrants. Emails from the resort reportedly show staff confusion following a unexpected email from the governor’s office in August announcing the arrival of 100 migrant families to the resort.
Have any other towns on the Cape received such notifications?" resort leadership asked.Resident workers who paid to stay in the resort said that management responded by dramatically raising prices from $300 to $700 weekly in an effort to push renters out, sparking outrage. The proposed hikes were later dropped, The Cape Code Times reported.
READ MORE | Massachusetts residents asked to offer 'extra room' to migrants amid state of emergency
Protesters then took to the streets to fight the proposal. Each bore American flags and signs demanding preference for U.S. citizens over migrants.
The situation in Yarmouth is a microcosm of an ongoing migrant crisis across the country. In New York City, local leaders have repeatedly pleaded with the White House to provided aid as busloads of migrants arrive in the city each week.
READ MORE | Migrant crisis could cost New York City $12 billion as mayor pleads for White House support
The Biden administration previously sued Texas after it erected a floating barrier across the Rio Grande River to prevent the arrival of migrants across the southern border. Sen. Ted Cruz, R- Texas., lambasted the move, saying Biden “ought to be ashamed.”
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