Migrants sleeping outside MBTA stop as Mass. exceeds emergency shelter capacity

QUINCY, Mass. — Haitian migrants are waking up outside of the Wollaston T stop in Quincy on Wednesday morning.

Dozens have been sleeping out there since Monday as families wait and hope for emergency shelter. There are just under 50 migrants who have been sleeping there including many children.

At this point, the state has exceeded its emergency shelter capacity. Volunteers of the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network have been providing temporary shelter for migrants that the state cannot house.

However, on Monday, the group’s funds dried up.

Some of those volunteers are calling on the state to do more for these families.

Until then, they’re volunteering their own time.

“I come here every day and try to be with people and play with their kids and let them know they’re not alone, and you know, and we feed them and whatnot, but in the grand – this is so far beyond myself or other volunteers,” said volunteer Sam Kohler. He continued, “if you were in their situation, would you not go to any lengths to do what’s best for your family? And for your kids?”

One Haitian migrant spoke to Boston 25 through a translator and said he waited in Mexico for 8 months before coming to the US legally, walking to Texas, and taking a bus to Boston.

He, like the other families here, is waiting to see if there will be an emergency shelter for his wife and three kids.

Either way, Wisler Sol said he’s grateful to be here, “The condition in Haiti is dire. You can’t compare it. Even though we’re sleeping outside, it’s a much better situation than what we have going on in Haiti.”

The Governor’s Office called it terrible that families slept outside.

They said in part in a statement, “We hope they will visit our Family Welcome Centers so that they can be referred to a Temporary Respite Center and connected with case management and other resources to help them identify their next steps.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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