The governor of Massachusetts on Aug. 8 declared an emergency over the influx of immigrants, a number of whom are in the country illegally.

Gov. Maura Healey said that the state’s shelter system is nearing a breaking point due to “rapidly rising numbers” of immigrants, even after the creation of new emergency sites at places like Joint Base Cape Cod to try to handle the increase.

“Demand has increased to levels that our emergency shelter system cannot keep up with, especially as the number of families leaving shelter has dwindled due to a lack of affordable housing options and barriers to securing work,” Ms. Healey, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Out of more than 5,500 families in shelters, “many” are recent arrivals to Massachusetts, officials said. Another over 1,800 families are living in hotels or motels.

They said that 25 families per day were seeking shelter in March 2022. The number jumped to 68 in March, and more than 100 in July.

The state government is spending more than $45 million per month on the population needing assistance but fears it will soon be overwhelmed.

One solution, according to the governor, is making it easier for immigrants to obtain work authorization.

“I urge you to … use all available executive power to remove the burdensome barriers keeping people from getting work authorizations, address our outdated and punitive immigration laws, and provide much needed financial assistance to states like Massachusetts address this national issue,” Ms. Healey wrote in a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “These new arrivals desperately want to work, and we have historic demand for workers across all industries.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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