Healey orders inspection of shelters after man arrested in Revere

Governor Maura Healey is calling for a full inspection of the state-run shelter system after a Dominican national was allegedly found with a loaded AR-15 rifle and pounds of fentanyl last week at a Revere hotel operating as an emergency shelter.

“It’s outrageous that this individual took advantage of our shelter system to engage in criminal activity,” Healey said in a statement released by her office. “Our administration has been in touch with both local law enforcement and federal immigration officials regarding this case.”

Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, 28, was arrested Dec. 27 at the Quality Inn on Morris Street in Revere, Revere police said. He was charged with 10 gun and drug offenses, including trafficking. He was immediately removed from the shelter, state officials said, and was held without bail on Friday, according to court documents. 

“I’ve ordered an inspection of all shelter units, beginning with the Revere site, and a full review of our intake processes to determine any additional steps that we can take to prevent criminal activity in shelters,” Healey said in a statement Monday.

Healey said her administration has been in touch with both state and federal law enforcement. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sanchez entered the country illegally “on an unknown date at an unknown location sometime within the past year.”

Healey’s statement went on to blame, in part, the federal government for their inaction around immigration, echoing multiple previous statements regarding Congress’s role.

“This further underscores our broken federal immigration system and the urgent need for Congress and the White House to act on a border security bill to prevent criminals from entering our communities,” her statement continued. “The people of Massachusetts should not continue to have to deal with the impacts of federal inaction.”

Sanchez is at least the second offender to be arrested from the state shelter systems. Cory Alvarez, of Haiti, was indicted for raping a 15-year-old girl at a shelter in Rockland in May of last year.

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale released a statement criticizing Healey’s administration for the “egregious oversight.”

“The migrant crisis has spiraled into a financial catastrophe, a humanitarian disaster, and a severe threat to public safety,” Carnevale said. “Massachusetts residents deserve answers and Democrats need to put partisanship aside and work with Republicans on solutions.”