Migrant crisis roils Boston area as school stands firm on contentious residency policy

A Boston-area school district has decided against adjusting its residency policy for matriculating students after migrant advocacy groups demanded change, with an administrator saying claims made by the critics "are just not true."

The Lawyers for Civil Rights and Massachusetts Advocates for Children sent a letter to school administrators in Saugus, a town 10 miles north of Boston, alleging that the requirement to fill out the town census and other "overly-stringent residency or proof-of-identity requirements" violate the state and federal constitution.

Two advocacy groups have recently pressured Saugus public schools to revise their policy, following a surge of migrants into Massachusetts that has strained state resources.

The advocacy groups said the policy went into effect prior to the 2023-2024 school year and stipulated that pupils must be "legal residents whose actual residence is in Saugus" and that guardians must identify themselves with passports or other government photo IDs.

The policy had been implemented only days after Democrat Gov. Maura Healey instituted a state of emergency in response to the migrant influx.

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The Bay State is unique in its status as a "right-to-shelter" state, which guarantees families without homes will have shelter. 

And in the time since Healey called for a state of emergency, Saugus schools enrolled 23 students from the shelter system.

At a recent board meeting, however, school administrators said they won't change their policy, with the body’s chair, Vincent Serino, saying in part that the news and "stories about migrants" are false, according to the Boston Herald.

Fox News Digital reached out to Serino and other administrators for comment but did not receive responses.

That has led to state-imposed shelter limits and calls for repeal of the Gov. Michael Dukakis-era law in response to claims the law is a major reason the crisis is so serious there.

The school policy also notes its stipulations exempt students covered under federal homeless assistance legislation spearheaded by former Rep. Stewart McKinney, R-Conn., in 1987.

"No child who actually resides in Saugus will be denied access to school because of his or her immigration status or the immigration status of [their parents or guardians]," the policy concludes in that regard.

However, the advocacy groups argued in their demand letter that the policy, particularly the census requirement, exceeds scholastic authority and "disproportionately harms immigrant families."

They also said "anti-immigrant sentiments" have led to noncitizens being less likely to participate in the census due to "stigma" or "fear of immigration consequences."

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Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of both groups but did not receive responses. Fox News Digital also reached out to town officials and state Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Essex, for comment.

Elsewhere in the state, town officials in Norfolk reportedly briefly stipulated that migrant children living in a former state prison-turned-shelter would not be enrolled in local schools.

The decision was later reversed, according to the Boston Globe.

Healey appeared to blame the federal government for the crisis, saying Congress has "repeatedly failed to act" after instituting a 90-day shelter limit.

"This new length-of-stay policy will strengthen those efforts to connect families with the resources and services they need to move into more stable housing and contribute to our workforce," Healey said, according to Politico.