Massachusetts
Massachusetts immigrant support group ‘very sad’ over hate and ‘misinformation’: ‘These people are incredible’
A local immigrant support group that helps house newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers is pushing back against the hate and “misinformation,” as volunteers offer to open up their homes to migrants.
There has been a flood of negative and hateful social media posts in reaction to the Immigrant Support Alliance’s event on Monday — during which the Melrose-area volunteers let people know what it’s like to be a host home for a newly arrived immigrant.
Some of those hateful posts about the information session included incorrect references to housing “illegal immigrants.”
“This is the temperature right now, and it’s sad. It’s sad,” said Rabbi Jessica Lowenthal of Melrose’s Temple Beth Shalom, where the information session was being held on Monday.
“A lot of misinformation is out there,” Lowenthal added. “A lot of people think these are just people coming in undocumented, and they have a lot of feelings about it. They (the migrants) are incredibly vetted by the U.S. through asylum and immigrant channels.”
Paul Belfanti, president of the Immigrant Support Alliance, also said he was “very sad” when he saw those hateful reactions to the event, which was called “Exploring the Host Home Experience.”
“They’re clearly so misinformed,” Belfanti said, later adding, “I’m sure the people who are spewing this bile have never spent time with a newly arrived immigrant. These people are incredible and so resilient and hard-working. They’ve been through so much.”
The Immigrant Support Alliance partners with resettlement agencies to provide food, housing, financial and social support to newly arrived migrants. It takes several months for the migrants to get work authorizations, so they need help in the meantime.
The volunteers will help the migrants with housing, transportation to a medical appointment or the grocery store, practicing English with them, or teaching them computer skills. The housing commitment is typically for three months.
“We’re just one drop in an enormous bucket,” Belfanti said.
“As soon as they can start working, any financial support starts to diminish over time until they become financially independent, and they can be on their own,” he added.
The information session on Monday included volunteers who have served as hosts to both individuals and families. About 30 people showed up.
“It went really well,” Belfanti said. “A few people said they were genuinely interested in hosting.
“There are a lot of people out there who want to do something,” he added. “They genuinely want to help.”
Immigrant support groups like these have been around for several years.
Last year amid a growing shelter and migrant crisis, state officials asked Bay State residents to house immigrant families. Elon Musk last week indirectly criticized Gov. Maura Healey’s handling of immigration, saying “now they want your homes too” in a repost of an August news story on the administration’s efforts to find more housing for homeless families.
“They’ve run out of hotel rooms, are kicking kids out of school for illegal housing and now they want your homes too,” Musk said in a social media post.
Massachusetts is not removing students from school to create more shelter space nor are migrants living in state-run shelters considered illegal, as they have been lawfully allowed into the United States by the federal government.
Massachusetts
State police say Friday’s storm caused 200 crashes across Massachusetts
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Massachusetts
Dangerousness hearing held for Taunton man in Fall River after Massachusetts, Rhode Island State Police make trafficking arrest involving Bristol, Plymouth, RI counties
A dangerousness hearing was held Friday for a Bristol County man after a drug trafficking investigation led to his arrest.
According to Massachusetts State Police, during May and June of this year, members of the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team – South initiated an investigation into narcotics trafficking. Intelligence revealed that 33-year-old Jason Hodo of Taunton was distributing trafficking quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in Rhode Island and throughout Plymouth and Bristol Counties in Massachusetts. Investigators completed extensive traditional and covert surveillance, record checks, and intelligence analysis. The investigation led to warrants being sought and granted to search for all controlled substances at all locations related to Hodo.
In June, executing officers followed Hodo in his vehicle after he departed the Rhode Island location and drove to a Taunton gas station. Hodo was detained, searched, and arrested after amounts of fentanyl and cocaine were located. Members then executed the “knock and announce” search warrants without incident at locations in both states.
The searches in Massachusetts led to the seizure of approximately 528 grams of fentanyl, 206 grams of cocaine, and nearly $22,000 from Hodo’s person and vehicle. Hodo was eventually transported to State Police-Middleboro for booking on charges related to Trafficking Class A and Class B Substances.
A simultaneous search of the Rhode Island location by Rhode Island State Police revealed the following: two firearms loaded with high-capacity magazines, approximately 12 grams of fentanyl, nearly $19,000, several high value bars of gold, jewelry, and a diamond/gold chain with receipt for $103,000.
Previously in Fall River Superior Court, Hodo pled not guilty at his arraignment and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday.
On Friday, also in Fall River Superior Court, dangerousness was taken under advisement with Hodo still held without bail.
His next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial conference in February.
Massachusetts
Mass. State Lottery winner: Lucky store sold 6 winning tickets Friday
It was the final day of the fall, but for one store in Arlington, it was their luckiest day of the year.
On Friday, Dec. 20, Peter Pan Superette in Arlington sold six winning Keno tickets, each worth $9,600.
While over the course of the year the store has at times sold two winners in one day, Friday was the only time in 2024 the total grew to six.
Overall, at least 565 worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Friday, including six in Springfield, 29 in Worcester and 42 in Boston.
The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.
So far, the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year was worth $1 million a year for life.
The prize was from the lottery’s “Lifetime Millions” scratch ticket game. The winner claimed their prize through a trust on July 10, and opted to receive a one-time payment of $15.4 million.
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