A former director of a Massachusetts shelter who has become a whistleblower is asserting that the recent sentencing of yet another illegal immigrant convicted of child rape in a taxpayer-funded shelter highlights a significant “failure of government” in this sanctuary state.
Cory Alvarez, a 27-year-old Haitian illegal alien, was convicted of aggravated rape of a child at a migrant shelter in Rockland, Massachusetts, receiving a prison sentence of 10 to 12 years, as reported by NBC 10 Boston.
The Rockland police arrested Alvarez in 2024 on allegations of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, with both residing at a Comfort Inn managed by the state.
In August, he was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
According to ICE, Alvarez entered the US legally in 2023 but subsequently breached the conditions of his entry, rendering him undocumented.
Fetherston, who once oversaw a similar shelter in Marlborough, Massachusetts, expressed that Alvarez’s case “highlights a far more significant issue.”
“Call it what you will, but this is an absolute failure of government,” he remarked. “We have documented instances of girls being assaulted in shelters funded by taxpayer dollars. No one in a position of power, including Governor Maura Healey, has accepted responsibility.”
Fetherston has previously raised alarms about the “prevalent” sexual abuse of minors occurring within the Massachusetts shelter system.
In an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this year, he recounted the case of Ron Joseph, another Haitian illegal alien who raped and impregnated his 14-year-old daughter at the Marlborough shelter.
Fetherston recounted that when confronted by authorities regarding the rape, Joseph exhibited agitation and issued threats against him.
Despite the serious nature of the crime, Fetherston stated he was directed to arrange for Joseph to be taken to another state-run shelter.
Joseph was finally arrested months later and has since been sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison for aggravated child rape.
Fetherston noted that these cases are indicative of a troubling pattern of sexual violence against children that often goes unpunished.
“The state has failed to safeguard these children, and without that protection, they lose their moral authority to oversee these programs,” he asserted, adding, “If you cannot ensure children’s safety, you shouldn’t hold office.”
This year, a spokesperson for Governor Healey informed the Boston Herald that she “inherited a disaster of a shelter system” and has taken steps to implement policies like length of stay limits, mandating criminal background checks, and ensuring that residents demonstrate Massachusetts residency and lawful immigration status, alongside getting families out of hotels.
Fetherston challenged the assertion that shelter inhabitants had undergone adequate vetting, claiming, “None of these individuals were evaluated,” and voiced concerns over their identities being unknown.
“The governor has effectively opened the floodgates without vetting anyone, and that failure rests with her,” he noted.
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Fetherston observed that “98 percent of the individuals I interacted with were decent people seeking a better life. However, the 2 percent who weren’t represented some of the most troubling cases I have encountered.”
He stressed that “all these shelters are funded by taxpayer money.”
“Taxpayers need to understand that, tragically, they are financing the assaults and rapes of young girls,” he remarked, emphasizing, “No one desires this reality.”
In August, Healey ordered the shutdown of the state’s shelter system and determined that some residents would qualify for at least $30,000 in state housing assistance over a two-year timeframe.
Since this policy change, Fetherston has received reports from local police indicating an increase in vehicle accidents.
He also noted that school districts, particularly in smaller communities, have been inundated with new foreign students.
“Where do you allocate the budget? Do you divert funds from police or fire services? Do you delay road repairs? Because these children must be educated, leading to widespread negative impacts on small towns,” he explained.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Alvarez entered the country in June through a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV), initiated by the Biden administration.
This policy, first revealed for Venezuelans in October 2022, permitted a select number of individuals to fly into the US as long as they had not entered illegally, had an established US sponsor, and passed specific checks.
Fox News Digital reached out to Governor Healey’s office for comments but did not receive an immediate reply.
