Inspections of emergency shelters underway across Massachusetts

Emergency shelters across Massachusetts are undergoing surprise room inspections this week, a spokesman for the state confirmed. Gov. Maura Healey ordered the inspections after a man was arrested at a Revere shelter, where police found an AR-style rifle and a large stash of fentanyl.

"The shelter inspections are ongoing," according to a statement from Kevin Connor, spokesman for the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. "On-site shelter provider staff are conducting the inspections, consistent with applicable shelter rules."

Staff will be looking for possible criminal activity, he said in the statement, including possession of firearms or drugs, "or anything that would raise significant health or safety concerns."

The governor ordered inspections after Dominican national Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, 28, was arrested at the Quality Inn in Revere on Dec. 27. He faces charges of possessing an assault rifle and $1 million worth of fentanyl; he's also facing an immigration detainer by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to a statement from ICE, Sanchez admitted to entering the country illegally.

A week and a half after the arrest, the governor’s office directed shelters to carry out the inspections.

The snap inspections aim to uncover potential criminal activity in the emergency shelter system, which doubled its population last year as thousands of families came to Massachusetts from countries including Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Danielle Ferrier, chief executive of the state-contracted shelter provider Heading Home, said in an interview this week that any illegal activity revealed in the inspections will be referred to police.

“We can't have drugs and weaponry in those sites because it's a risk — both to the community in the building as well as the community outside of the building,” Ferrier said. Heading Home does not oversee the Revere shelter.

Shelter providers say no police or other law enforcement are involved in the inspections. The Revere police also say they are not involved in the inspections.

However, a statement from Revere's mayor earlier this week said city police will increase their presence at the Quality Inn facility. The mayor also said the city will hold "the operator of the property" responsible for the costs of additional policing.

Republican state Sen. Peter Durant — a frequent critic of the state's handling of the migrant crisis — said he’s encouraged by the increased scrutiny of shelters across Massachusetts. Durant also called on the Healey administration to be transparent about the nature of the inspections, and about details of what the inspections reveal.