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Child rape and violent incidents reported at Massachusetts migrant shelters, former facility director says

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Child rape and violent incidents reported at Massachusetts migrant shelters, former facility director says

A former director at a Massachusetts migrant shelter is speaking out against what he says were incidents of widespread violence, child sexual assault and rape at shelters in the state, including an incident where a father impregnated his 14-year-old daughter.

Massachusetts, a sanctuary state, has been one of a number of states that have been overwhelmed by the migrant surge coming from the southern border.

The state has spent nearly $1.1 billion of taxpayers’ money this fiscal year to house and feed the border crossers who have often been placed in hotels converted into shelters.

DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS

Meshach Little of Northill Wilkston Security Firm walks the perimeter of the main living area at the state’s new emergency overflow shelter for migrants at the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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One such migrant shelter in Marlborough, Massachusetts, was managed by Jon Fetherston from November 2023 to July 2024, who painted a chaotic picture of his time there with violence, wasteful spending and rape.

“There was a lot of violence,” Fetherston told The Daily Wire of the crowded 550-person shelter at Holiday Inn at 265 Lakeside Ave. “Unfortunately there was a gentleman in the hotel that impregnated his own daughter and got very violent when the state removed her from the shelter.”

A Maine Wire report from June appears to corroborate the claim, reporting that illegal immigrant Ronald Joseph allegedly raped his 14-year-old daughter numerous times on the journey to the U.S. — both before and after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Dept. of Children and Families (DcF) interviewed the young girl before making the decision to remove her from her father’s custody on an emergency basis,” the document obtained by The Maine Wire states.

Illegal migrants line the floors of a terminal at Boston Logan Airport as Massachusetts’ shelters are overrun.  (WBZ)

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Joseph was then given a taxpayer-funded Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester, Massachusetts, after he started yelling and making threatening gestures at the shelter staff, The Maine Wire reports, citing Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) records.

“They had me send them to Worcester County,” Fetherston told the Daily Wire. “And I, for the life of me, don’t understand why he wasn’t locked up. A man who admits he committed rape, you’re just going to put in another shelter so he can rape again another day? It makes no sense.”

That shelter is also paid for by taxpayers and residents receive the full slate of benefits while staying there, according to The Maine Wire, which reports that the official report did not recommend that any criminal charges should be brought against Joseph.

In another disturbing incident, Fetherston says that a 16-year-old female student says she was raped multiple times by a 29-year-old man.

“She told the police officer that she was raped multiple times. It was probably the most disturbing conversation I’ve ever heard in my adult life,” Fetherston told the Daily Wire.

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Cory Bernard Alvarez is accused of aggravated rape of a 15-year-old child in a Rockland migrant shelter. (ICE)

The man, identified as Gladimy Rodene by The Maine Wire, was arrested, removed from the shelter and was reportedly issued an abuse prevention order, which forbade him from approaching the Marlborough Holiday Inn or the local High School where his victim is a student.

Rodene reportedly sexually assaulted another girl, according to the Daily Wire, citing a report from a security guard recounting a statement from the original victim.

A spokesperson for ICE told The Daily Wire that they do not have a detainer on either of the individuals.

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In another violent incident at a Massachusetts shelter, a pregnant woman was allegedly raped and assaulted at a different hotel shelter in July by 34-year-old Haitian national Marc Kervens Beauvais, per the Boston Globe.

In August, ICE says it arrested 26-year-old Haitian national Cory Bernard Alvarez, accused of aggravated rape of a 15-year-old child in a Rockland migrant shelter.

Fetherston also spoke about migrants fighting over microwave access and in one incident, a migrant drove a car into Fetherston’s office, knocking him off his chair, in what he claims was retaliation for refusing to hand out diapers to migrants on government benefits. 

“If you were receiving benefits and you were receiving those, then we were going to start scaling back on providing diapers, formula and wipes,” Fetherston said. “That did not go over well with the migrants. They thought that they were being attacked. A gentleman then drove his car into my office.”

Fetherston told the Daily Wire that his daily tasks included assisting migrants with enrolling in social services like food stamps and government health insurance. The migrants were given three meals a day from catering companies, and he purchased essential items such as toiletries, diapers, strollers and baby wipes for them.

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He also coordinated state-paid, same-day dry cleaning for the migrants and arranged Uber rides to work when needed. He added he was given an Amazon budget and other accounts to buy necessities for the migrants with no spending cap.

“They maybe have two days’ worth of clothing on them and they have no toiletries, they don’t have any IDs, they don’t have anything,” Fetherston told The Daily Wire. “The state contract was that you provide everything that they would need. So a lot of the days you spent ordering.”

The news comes as Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has said that her state police will “absolutely not” be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use “every tool in the toolbox” to “protect” residents in the blue state.

President-elect Trump has pledged to launch the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” to deport millions of illegal immigrants. One report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimated 50,000 migrants have arrived in the state since 2021.

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Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has said that her state police will “absolutely not” be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use “every tool in the toolbox” to “protect” residents in the blue state. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

“I do think it is important that we all recognize that there is going to be a lot of pressure on states and state officials. I can assure you we’re going to work hard to deliver,” Healey said following President-elect Trump’s resounding election win last month.

Last year, Healey declared a state of emergency in the state due to the surge and called for federal action. She also acknowledged that the state’s policies may be a draw for migrants.

“Many of these families are migrants to Massachusetts, drawn here because we are and proudly have been a beacon to those in need,” she wrote in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

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Vermont

How UVM hockey teams fared Jan. 9-10 — Schedule, scores, results

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How UVM hockey teams fared Jan. 9-10 — Schedule, scores, results


UVM welcomes Adrian Dubois as new men’s soccer coach

Adrian Dubois answers questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, Dec. 22.

Conference play is in full swing to both Vermont basketball and hockey teams. Vermont basketball and women’s basketball both have a bye on Saturday, Jan. 10, meaning only the hockey teams are in action.

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How did those Catamounts men’s and women’s hockey teams fare this weekend? For schedule, scores and stats from all games, read on below:

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

Women’s hockey

Vermont 4, Merrimack 1

V: Oona Havana 2G. Kaylee Lewis 1G. Rose-Marie Brochu 1G. Julia Mesplede 2A. Stella Retrum 1A. Lauren O’Hara 1A. Brooke George 1A. Ashley Kokavec 1A. Zoe Cliche 19 saves.

M: Emma Pfeffer 1G. Stina Sandberg 1A. Avery Anderson 1A. Lauren Lyons 39 saves.

Note: The women’s hockey team has won three straight games securing its largest win streak of the season.

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Men’s hockey

Vermont 3, Northeastern 2

V: Sebastian Tornqvist 1G, 2A. Jens Richards 1G. Massimo Lombardi 1G. Colin Kessler 1A. Aiden Wright 1A. Jack Malinski 1A. Cedrick Guindon 1A. Aiden Wright 20 saves.

N: Joe Connor 1G. Amine Hajibi 1G. Jack Henry 1A. Tyler Fukakusa 1A. Dylan Hryckowian 1A. Dylan Finlay 1A. Lawton Zacher 21 saves.

Note: The men’s hockey team has won two straight games for the first time since winning its first two games of the season (Oct. 4-10).

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SATURDAY, JAN. 10

Women’s hockey

Vermont at Merrimack, 2 p.m.

Men’s hockey

Northeastern at Vermont, 7 p.m.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.





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Boston, MA

Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term

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Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term


The Boston City Council is setting out on a new two-year term with a new council president at the helm.

City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, won the gavel on a 7-6 contested vote, cobbling together her candidacy just hours before the council was set to vote.

“An opportunity presented itself and I took it,” Breadon said. “We’re in a very critical time, given politics, and I really feel that in this moment, we need to set steady leadership, and really to bring the council together.”

The process apparently including backroom conversations and late-night meetings as City Councilors Gabriella Coletta Zapata and Brian Worrell both pushed to become the next council president.

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Breadon spoke on why support waned for her two colleagues.

“I think they had support that was moving,” said Breadon. “It was moving back and forward, it hadn’t solidified solidly in one place. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the moment.”

Political commentator Sue O’Connell talks about the last-minute maneuvering before the upset vote and what it says about Mayor Michelle Wu’s influence.

Some speculated that Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration was lobbying for a compromise candidate after Coletta Zapata dropped out of the race. Breadon disputes the mayor’s involvement.

“I would say not,” said Breadon. “I wasn’t in conversation with the mayor about any of this.”

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Beyond the election, Breadon took a look ahead to how she will lead the body. Controversy has been known to crop up at City Hall, most recently when former District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges tied to a kickback scheme involving taxpayer dollars.

Breadon said it’s critical to stay calm and allow the facts to come out in those situations.

“I feel that it’s very important to be very deliberative in how we handle these things and not to sort of shoot from the hip and have a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happening,” said Breadon.

Tune in Sunday at 9:30 am for our extended @Issue Sitdown with Breadon, when we dig deeper into how her candidacy came together, the priorities she’ll pursue in the role and which colleagues she’ll place in key council positions.

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Pittsburg, PA

O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE

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O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE


Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor reaffirmed that he will not cooperate with ICE.

Former Mayor Ed Gainey had taken the same position.

“My stance never changed,” O’Connor told TribLive on Friday. “We’re not going to cooperate.”

O’Connor said the same thing on the campaign trail, promising his administration would not partner with ICE.

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“My priority is to turn the city around and help it grow,” O’Connor said. “For us, it’s got to be focusing on public safety in the city of Pittsburgh.”

President Donald Trump has sent a surge of federal officers into Minneapolis, where tensions have escalated sharply.

O’Connor said he had spoken this week with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who heads the Democratic Mayors Association. The group has condemned ICE’s actions in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal encounter in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen described as a poet and mother.

“Mayors are on the ground every day working to keep our communities safe,” the association said in a statement Thursday. “If Trump were serious about public safety, he would work with our cities, not against them. If he were serious, he would stop spreading propaganda and lies, and end the fear, the force, and the federal overreach.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has come out strongly against the Trump administration and ICE, penning an op-ed piece for the New York Times with the headline, “I’m the Mayor of Minneapolis. Trump Is Lying to You.”

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an ICE officer shot Good in self-defense. Noem described the incident as “domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers and claimed Good tried to “run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”

The circumstances of the incident are in dispute.

In December, ICE agents were involved in a scuffle in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood as they arrested a Latino man.

According to neighbors, two unmarked vehicles sandwiched a white Tacoma in the 400 block of Norton Street, broke the driver’s side window, pulled a man from the vehicle and got into a physical altercation. Pepper spray was deployed and seemed to get in the eyes of both the man being detained and at least one immigration agent.

At least some of the officers on the scene in that incident belong to ICE.

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They targeted the man, Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, a Nicaraguan national, for claiming to be a U.S. citizen while trying to buy a gun, according to court papers.



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