Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director, has spoken out about the "rampant" abuse he witnessed within the state's migrant shelter system, describing it as a "colossal mess." Fetherston, who directed the Marlborough migrant shelter from 2023 to 2024, recounted a disturbing incident where he was physically assaulted by a Haitian immigrant after confronting him about raping and impregnating his teenage daughter.
The incident involving Ronald Joseph, 42, first came to light through a report by The Maine Wire. Joseph repeatedly assaulted his 13-year-old daughter while residing at a government-funded shelter in a Marlborough Holiday Inn. Fetherston revealed that when Joseph was informed he would lose custody of his daughter, he became enraged, yelling that Fetherston was to blame. He then physically attacked the shelter director.
Fetherston described the conversation leading up to the attack as the "most jarring" of his life. Joseph, speaking through an interpreter, attempted to justify his actions by claiming that in his home country of Haiti, it was permissible to have sex with a female once she began menstruating.
Instead of immediate arrest, Joseph was ordered a Lyft to another shelter in Worcester County at the direction of authorities. It took eight months for Marlborough police to apprehend him. Fetherston expressed disbelief that Joseph wasn't detained immediately after admitting to the crime.
While Joseph's case is particularly disturbing, Fetherston stated that undocumented violence, including rape, domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and drug dealing, is widespread within the Massachusetts shelter system, with many incidents going unreported due to the sheer volume of occurrences. He felt overwhelmed by the constant need to address these issues and often lacked the time to properly document them all. Fetherston characterized the situation as "a big, colossal mess."
Before resigning, Fetherston raised his concerns about the widespread abuse to Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, but felt his concerns were dismissed. Despite Healey's recent promises to reform the system and implement background checks, Fetherston claims no tangible changes have been made. The legislature recently renewed shelter funding at $425 million through June without any reforms attached. Fetherston expressed frustration with the lack of action, emphasizing the public's right to know about the ongoing chaos within these shelters.
He lamented the continued funding without reform, stating, "The governor says that all this stuff is coming, and ultimately, at the end, there was no reform put in the package."
