DeSantis criticizes shelter law following reports veterans struggling to find lodging for Army-Navy football game

Presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) sounded off on a report about veterans who are unable to find lodging for the annual Army-Navy college football game in Massachusetts due to a state law requiring illegal immigrant families and pregnant women be housed, frequently in hotels.

The United States Military Academy at West Point will take on the United States Naval Academy on Dec. 9 in Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The game usually draws fans, many of them servicemen and women and veterans, from across the country. However, due to the influx of illegal immigrants from the southern border, coupled with the state’s “right to shelter” law, many who wish to attend the game are having difficulty planning their trip.

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“Our veterans and service academy graduates cannot find anywhere to stay for the Army-Navy Game because hotels are housing illegal aliens on the taxpayers’ dime,” DeSantis wrote on social media. “What a farce. When I am president, the days of putting illegal aliens over Americans will be over.”

The Florida governor is the only veteran in the presidential race, having served with Navy JAG in Iraq, and has begun emphasizing it on the campaign trail in the hope that it resonates with voters.

Massachusetts has seen an uptick in illegal immigrant arrivals, so much so that Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) declared a state of emergency over the crisis this summer. Because of a controversial state law known as the “right to shelter,” immigrant families and pregnant women are legally entitled to places to stay, which has now exceeded just homeless shelters, with Massachusetts putting them up in hotels across the state.

Last year, DeSantis’s administration in Florida organized flights of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, the affluent island that considers itself a “sanctuary destination” for those in the country illegally.

Buses of illegal immigrants sent to New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) have reportedly been arriving in Boston and other Massachusetts locations in droves. Abbott’s administration, however, has not sent any buses directly to Massachusetts. The cities Texas continues to send immigrants to are New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Regarding the reports of service members and veterans unable to find hotels to attend the Army-Navy game, Healey’s office did not provide a comment to the Washington Examiner.

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Democratic leaders such as governors and mayors of major cities have begun to sour on President Joe Biden’s administration as requests for additional federal help to deal with illegal immigrant surges aren’t met to their satisfaction. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, is reportedly not on speaking terms with Biden and has publicly criticized him for inaction on the immigration crisis. This week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson demanded additional assistance from the White House for its own immigration difficulties. Pritzker also penned a letter to Biden on Monday asking him to lead a coordinated response on America’s southern border.

Amid the large-scale transportation of illegal immigrants to Democratically run cities and states, majorities of both Democrats and Republicans believe it is important for the U.S. to increase security along the southern border. Last year, more than 90% of Republicans said this was either “somewhat” or “very important,” while 59% of Democrats said so. Between 2019 and 2022, Democrats who believed securing the border to be at least somewhat important increased 10 percentage points.