BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey released new guidance about interacting with ICE agents on Thursday. The guidance is for schools, hospitals, child care centers, and places of worship.
The guidance focuses on how staff should respond if federal immigration officers show up. It encourages organizations to train staff, create written response policies, and clearly mark public and private areas.
The guidance also draws distinctions between a judicial warrant, signed by a judge, and an administrative warrant issued by ICE.
If federal immigration officers do not have a valid warrant, the state says staff shouldn’t disclose private information or allow access to nonpublic areas. The state says organizations should never physically interfere with federal immigration officers and immediately escalate the situation to administrators or legal counsel.
Above all, it is important to remain calm.
Governor Maura Healey said the policies are aimed at making sure people can still access essential services without fear.
“ICE has scared families away, and remember, these are families who have lawful status, have a parent with lawful status,” Healey said. “The little kids are US citizens. How is that making our community and our commonwealth safer? How is that making our nation stronger? It isn’t.”
The documents also remind people they have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right to record interactions from a safe distance.
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