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.