Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is being taken to task for allegedly shifting the costs over to a program that makes illegal aliens eligible to receive a whopping $30,000 in housing assistance over the course of two years, a massive handout to those who shouldn’t even be in the country.
Reports have come out that Healey’s administration increased spending in the state’s HomeBASE program from $97 million in 2025, which is up from $9.5 million in 2022. The Boston Herald stated that families eligible for the Massachusetts-run shelter system were being handed $30,000 in rental assistance over two years. The total caseload for the program skyrocketed under Healey, going from 1,473 in January 2023 to 7,767 in April 2025.
That’s a more than 400% increase. The outlet then revealed that some of the eligible families could potentially qualify for an additional $15,000 in a third year of assistance. However, officials with the state were planning to pause the third-year assistance in July. Following that report, Amy Carnevale, who serves as the chair for the Massachusetts Republican Party, said the HomeBASE program is just “shelters by another name.”
“Taxpayers are giving migrant families nearly limitless free rental assistance. Meanwhile, federal action means these families won’t be receiving work permits anytime soon,” she went on to say, adding, “The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.” According to a report from Fox News, a spokesperson for Healey pushed back on the criticism, telling the outlet that the governor is the first to require families receiving the funds to prove their legal status and residency in the state.
The spokesperson then addressed claims that illegal aliens are also benefiting from the program are “completely false,” going on to say, “Every family must have legal status and prove Massachusetts residency to be in the HomeBASE program. Governor Healey is the first Governor to require that. In fact, HomeBASE has been operated for over a decade, including under the prior Republican administration, and Governor Healey is the first to enact additional eligibility requirements.”
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Healey announced the closure of the hotel shelters in Massachusetts as her executive emergency focusing on the migrant influx that occurred during the Biden administration, was terminated. Carnevale, in a statement sent to Fox News, said that friends, favors, and failures continue to emerge even as she declares that the migrant crisis is over.”
“Healey should rip off the Band-Aid and tell the public whether these same oversights are occurring in the HomeBASE program,” she added. “The abuse of taxpayer dollars, coupled with a stunning lack of oversight by Maura Healey and her administration, will define her legacy as governor.” Healey’s rival in the race for the governorship of the state, Republican Mike Kennealy, had a lot to say about her efforts to assist illegal aliens in a post on Facebook.
“If Maura Healey spent less of your tax dollars helping illegal immigrants evade deportations and more of her energy on reviving our state’s economy, Massachusetts would be in a far better position today,” Kennealy’s post read. “The state has already funneled $5 million to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation. Now they want to divert millionaire’s tax funds to illegal immigrant legal defense. Wasn’t the surtax money supposed to be exclusively used for education and transportation? I will end the use of taxpayer dollars to aid and abet illegal immigration, period.”
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