It is a hotel fiasco in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Veterans who booked rooms for the Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium in December said their reservations have been canceled because the hotels are being used to house migrants.
Mark Mansbach, the owner of Hillsdale Travel, said he recently had 70 rooms canceled for clients at three different hotels near the stadium. The travel agent who has always helped military families get accommodations for the game said he has never experienced this kind of problem.
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“Some people did opt to move to a different hotel, but a few actually canceled their rooms and said we’ll just sell our tickets and move on,” Mansbach said.
Giri Hotel Management, which owns some of the properties impacted, released a statement about the situation.
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“We consider it a privilege to offer a safe haven to those who have been forced to flee their homes due to challenging circumstances,” Claire Mulholand, the VP of marketing for Giri Hotel management said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who has already declared a state of emergency due to the migrant crisis, said she is aware of the situation and working to help.
“I have directed my Secretary of Veterans’ Services, Jon Santiago, to reach out to anyone affected. I do understand hotels are working with those who had bookings to find other locations,” Healey said.
The fiasco set off a political firestorm on social media Wednesday.
“It’s sad. I can see how it’s going to affect the football game and our veterans should come first,” state representative Steven Xiarhos said.
The Republican representing Cape Cod said it is the latest example of why change is needed.
“They need to secure the border. We need to fix immigration and we need to amend the state’s right-to-shelter law,” Xiarhos said.
