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The bill, known as the Safe Communities Act, was proposed in response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a proposed law that would create new protections for immigrant communities in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown.
Known as the Safe Communities Act, the bill aims to “protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents,” according to official government webpages for the legislation. Versions of the bill have been introduced in the Senate by State Sen. James Elridge and in the House of Representatives by State Reps. Manny Cruz and Priscila Sousa.
The bill is built on four central pillars to ensure public safety in civil immigration matters, according to an official explainer from the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA Coalition). Primarily, the bill would prohibit police and court officials from questioning immigrants about their immigration status.
Officials would also be required to obtain “written, informed consent” from immigrants held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prior to being interviewed, according to the explainer. The bill would additionally prohibit officials from contacting ICE “about a person’s pending release from custody, except at the end of a sentence of incarceration.”
Lastly, the Safe Communities Act would prevent local police and sheriffs from becoming involved in federal immigration enforcement, according to the MIRA Coalition. The explainer states that “federal funding enticements” have left local law enforcement “vulnerable to federal pressure” but that the bill would leave all statewide ICE matters in the hands of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
“The new federal administration will use every tool available to deport members of our immigrant communities, including our police and courts,” the MIRA Coalition wrote. “This misuse of public safety resources drives a wedge between immigrant communities and the public institutions that protect and serve them.”
Several states have enacted laws with similar actions towards law enforcement, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington, according to the MIRA Coalition.
Lawmakers met Nov. 25 for a hearing on the bill during a meeting for the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. At the meeting, lawmakers pointed to a spike in arrests statewide and nationwide, causing immigrants to be fearful of ICE activity near their workplaces and homes.
Eldridge emphasized during the meeting that state taxpayer resources and state and local law enforcement would not be allocated to support efforts to detain immigrants, MassLive reported. Some lawmakers, such as State Sen. Liz Miranda, shared their personal connections to the proposed legislation.
“My father and brother were both deported when I was a student at Wellesley College, and it took me 18 years before I saw them again,” Miranda said, according to MassLive. “I know firsthand the devastation that occurs when immigration enforcement becomes entangled with systems that are actually meant to support and protect our families.”
As of Nov. 30, the Safe Communities Act has gained the official support of 23 state legislators in its Senate iteration and 67 state legislators in its House iteration. Additionally, more than 70 statewide organizations and more than 150 local organizations have endorsed the bill, according to the MIRA Coalition.
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