The Haitian migrant arrested for the rape of a disabled 15-year-old girl in Rockland, Mass., last week was flown to the U.S. as part of a Biden administration immigration parole program. He was housed in a taxpayer-funded shelter operated by Democrat Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.
And when asked about the crime, Healey — a longtime supporter of sanctuary city policies — told a Boston reporter, “from time to time, things will happen.”
Healey has also endorsed fellow Democrat Joyce Craig in the New Hampshire race for governor.
For all those reasons and more, political pros say, the terrible news from the Bay State’s illegal immigration problem is almost certain to wash over into New Hampshire’s 2024 campaigns.
Haitian national Cory B. Alvarez, 26, is being held without bail on charges of aggravated rape of a child. The incident occurred at a hotel used by the state to shelter migrants. It’s a facility similar to the former Days Hotel and Conference Center in Methuen, less than a mile from the New Hampshire state line.
Alvarez was flown to the U.S. directly from Haiti via the Biden administration’s CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela) immigration parole program. It allows up to 30,000 migrants to bypass the border every month. Since the Biden administration expanded the program at the start of last year, more than 138,000 Haitians have been brought to the U.S. via the program.
When Boston 25 asked if the vetting process was adequate, Healey said, “I think we have the right systems in place. It is unfortunate that from time to time, things will happen … not just in shelter, but anywhere.”
The horrific crime has echoes of a January incident in which a Massachusetts judge released an illegal immigrant charged with raping a developmentally-disabled victim instead of honoring a federal immigration detainer request. The suspect in that case is also from Haiti. The judge was guided by Massachusetts’ so-called “sanctuary” policies that discourage, or even ban, state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
And it’s not just the cost in crimes and violence. CBS News reported last month Massachusetts taxpayers are ponying up more than $116 million in housing for migrants on contracts that end in June.
“In some cases, the hotels are collecting money from the state for three meals a day: $16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch, and $31 for dinner. That means $64 dollars a day per person,” CBS News reports.
In August, Healey declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts in response to the flood of migrants — illegal, on parole, and seeking amnesty — flooding into the Bay State. Critics say the reason is obvious: Generous taxpayer-funded benefits, the state’s “right to shelter” law, and a “sanctuary” approach to immigration.
All policies, New Hampshire Republicans warn, that Democrats like Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington want to bring to the Granite State.
And what do the two Democratic candidates for governor say?
They’ve declined to respond to multiple requests for comment from NHJournal, and they’ve refused to answer questions from other media outlets as well.
“Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington would turn New Hampshire into a sanctuary state like Massachusetts,” said GOP candidate for governor former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte. “I’d proudly sign legislation banning sanctuary policies and would never allow New Hampshire to become a sanctuary state.”
“As governor, I will fight every day to keep the Massachusetts illegal immigrant crisis south of our border.”
Former state Senate President Chuck Morse is also seeking the GOP nomination.
“It’s time to step up and lead in protecting our New Hampshire communities, or we risk another child falling victim to this border crisis,” Morse said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. “I am the only gubernatorial candidate who has the proven experience to get the job done.”
Both Craig and Warmington have supported sanctuary policies in the past. Both refuse to answer questions about their stance on sanctuary policies or legislation before the state legislature to ban them today. Both oppose deporting illegal aliens for immigration enforcement.
When asked if they support how Massachusetts is handling the immigration issue, both declined to respond.
A Monmouth University poll conducted last month found more than 8 in 10 Americans see illegal immigration as either a very serious (61 percent) or somewhat serious (23 percent) problem.”
Last week, the state Senate voted along party lines to advance a proposal that would require law enforcement in New Hampshire cities and towns to honor federal immigration detainer requests, effectively banning “sanctuary” immigration policies.
Every Democrat voted against the bill.
