The Army-Navy game is one of college football’s greatest and oldest rivalries. On Dec. 9, the Black Knights and Midshipmen are set to face off at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. However, an unexpected influx of migrants to the area is affecting some veterans’ travel plans.
Thousands of people are set to flood the Boston area for the game. Hotel rooms are already hard to come by, but now proactive veterans are having their hotel reservations — which they booked months in advance — canceled due to migrants who are being housed at the hotels.
A local news station in Boston spoke with travel agent Mark Mansbach, who booked hundreds of rooms for his clients — primarily veterans. The travel agent said he was taken aback when he talked to the hotel’s management company.
“They pretty much said, ‘Listen, we can’t help you with rooms for your clients, we are just going to cancel the rooms,’ and that was it,” Mansbach said.
Mansbach said at least 70 of the rooms he booked were canceled. In a statement to a local CBS affiliate in Boston, the hotel management group said in part, “As a gesture of solidarity and humanitarian responsibility, we are opening our doors to those seeking refuge in our community.”
The company explained that it is working with the state under the “right to shelter” law.
When asked about the situation at a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 4, Gov. Maura Healey said the state is offering help to veterans affected by the cancellations.
“I have directed my secretary of veteran services, John Santiago, to reach out to anyone affected.” Healey said. “I do understand that those hotels are working with people who have had bookings to find other locations that are, in fact, available. But I was very concerned and troubled to hear that any veteran may have had their rooms canceled.”
This story received a lot of attention from politicians on social media, but it’s not being covered by all media across the political spectrum.
The Straight Arrow News Media Miss™ tool shows the majority of outlets covering the story are either center-oriented or right-leaning. Left-leaning news outlets are underreporting this story. Of the 12 sources covering the story, only two outlets lean left.
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