CHELSEA, MASS. (WHDH) - The cities of Chelsea and Somerville are filing suit against President Donald Trump’s administration, challenging his plan for cities to participate in mass deportations.
The two communities are banding together to fight Trump’s executive order that sanctuary cities cooperate with Immigration and Custom Enforcement or risk prosecution and federal funding being pulled.
The City of Chelsea, where approximately 45 percent of the population is foreign-born, has been a safe haven for immigrants and does not help federal agents deport residents if they do not have a criminal record.
The City of Somerville decided in 1987 to become what it calls a “welcoming community” and follows the same rules as Chelsea.
With the help of Lawyers for Civil Rights, the two cities filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit on the East Coast, asking a judge to find these executive orders unconstitutional and not force sanctuary cities to participate.
“The threat would be to do nothing. That is precisely what this administration wants, is to — by fear and bullying and intimidation — get cities and residents to back down from their values, from public safety promises that they have made for years. That is precisely why federal court action is needed to bring certainty here and why it is so critical that Chelsea and Somerville are stepping up to challenge this overreach on the part of the president,” said Oren Sellstrom, of Lawyers for Civil Rights.
Both cities say they rely heavily on federal funding for projects.
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