A Massachusetts couple who volunteered to take in illegal immigrants was surprised when a family of four showed up at the doorstep less than an hour after signing up.
With state shelters hitting capacity and migrant families sleeping overnight inside Boston Logan International Airport, Colin and Jessica Stokes of Brookline, Massachusetts, decided to step up and try to make a difference.
“I was like, I have to get sheets on the beds. How many people are coming? Where are they from? What ages? We really knew nothing,” Jessica told WBZ News on Friday.
“The need is so clearly overwhelming,” Colin chimed in.
The family of four was one of the migrant groups that had been sleeping at the airport.
The parents and two children had traveled all the way from Chile to Texas before heading to Massachusetts.
The two kids are currently waiting to be put in a school.The parents stressed that while they are looking to work, the proper authorization forms will likely take several months to be received and approved.
Jessica said it is incredible to observe how challenging the situation is from the front lines.
“The family is lovely. They are so appreciative. It has been wonderful,” she added.
Colin and Jessica Stokes volunteered their home for migrants in Massachusetts to stay at as the state’s crisis worsens. CBS Boston
The migrant crisis has been complex for Massachusetts.
The state’s newest emergency shelter, located in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, reached its capacity (400 people) in just one week.
Gov. Maura Healey’s office said in late January the decision to move migrants into the state-owned Melnea Cass Recreation Center was “just born out of necessity” as other facilities in the state that have served as housing shelters, including the Logan Airport, have become overwhelmed.
Migrants sleep inside Boston Logan International Airport after shelters reached capacity. CBS Boston
The Stokes’ were surprised when the family showed up at their door only an hour after signing up. CBS Boston
“We just have to do what we have to do at this time,” she added.
Local officials are looking into a Boston Seaport office building as the location for another shelter, but Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said the lack of running water at the site makes it a “non-starter.”
The Stokes hope that other families use them as a case study and decide to put migrants up in their own homes.
Sleeping cots are set up for migrants to sleep in after traveling to Massachusetts. CBS Boston
“The family is lovely. They are so appreciative. It has been wonderful,” Jessica Stokes said of the family that are staying with them. CBS Boston
“Just the dysfunction is really disheartening, and I know that really well-intentioned people are working as hard as they can; it’s a state of emergency. But it is distressing to see the volume,” Jessica said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Stokes family for an update.
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