A former Massachusetts migrant shelter director spoke out in December about what he said were incidents of widespread violence, child sexual assault and rape at shelters in the state
A Massachusetts migrant shelter resident has been arrested and is being charged with raping and impregnating his own teenage daughter while staying at a government-funded shelter.
The MetroWest Daily News reported that the man, who has not been identified by police to protect the identity of his daughter and victim, raped his daughter repeatedly, both during their journey to the U.S. and while in the country.
The immigrant was staying at a shelter run by Eliot Community Human Services, which operates two government-funded shelters at Holiday Inn and Extended Stay hotels in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in the Boston area.
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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)
According to The MetroWest Daily News, Marlborough Police arrested the immigrant last week, following reports of his crimes being filed by shelter staff in May 2024.
The outlet reported that the teen had sent text messages indicating she was pregnant "in the past by her father," and that "her father had sex with her multiple times, both on the journey to the U.S. and in the U.S."
The Marlborough District Court arraigned the immigrant on Monday, charging him with one count of aggravated rape of a child. District Judge Meghan Spring ordered him held without bail pending another hearing on Friday, which will determine if he is a danger to the public.
This comes after Jon Fetherson, a former director of the Marlborough migrant shelter, spoke out about what he said were incidents of widespread violence, child sexual assault and rape at shelters in the state.
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The Massachusetts State House is photographed in Boston. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
The Maine Wire reported in December that shelter staff determined to separate Joseph from his daughter and he was given a taxpayer-funded Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Maine Wire reported that after being moved, Joseph started yelling and making threatening gestures at the shelter staff.
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Massachusetts is a "right to shelter" state with laws mandating the government provide housing to immigrants with no other means to obtain housing. Massachusetts is also a migrant "sanctuary" jurisdiction that prohibits police and law enforcement in the state from cooperating or assisting ICE and federal authorities in enforcing immigration law.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, left, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visit the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex, which was being used to house more than 300 migrants. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
This is not the first time a Massachusetts immigrant shelter has been used for illegal, criminal activity. In January, Revere Police arrested Dominican national Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, 28, after he was caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room.
In response, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, has expressed outrage over the abuse of the state’s shelter system and called for the legislature to change the system's rules to limit illegal immigrants staying in shelters.
Fox News Digital Breaking News reporter Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.