BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey filed legislation Thursday to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of courthouses, schools, child care programs, hospitals and churches, in what her administration says is the most comprehensive effort in the country to protect against ICE activity in sensitive locations.
The legislation also makes it unlawful for another state to deploy its National Guard in Massachusetts without the Governor’s permission, and allows parents to pre-arrange guardianship for their children in case they are detained or deported.
“We work very hard, as do municipal and state police officers across the Commonwealth, to build trust, and some of these operations have broken that trust. I fear it may be irreparable. We have work to do,” said Healey.
Healey said she also signed an Executive Order “…prohibiting the state from entering into any new 287(g) agreements unless there is a public safety need, prohibiting ICE from making civil arrests in non-public areas of state facilities, and prohibiting the use of state property for immigration enforcement staging.”
On January 20, the Trump Administration rescinded a policy in which the Department of Homeland Security maintained “protected areas” that required ICE to refrain from immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations, including hospitals, houses of worship, courts, and school programs. Healey said the loss of this policy is what her new legislation aims to restore.
“Our action today is actually in line with what was long established federal policy,” said Healey. “It used to be that federal agents and partners in law enforcement recognized those sensitive spaces. And they in fact used to designate them as ‘sensitive’ spaces that were protected from enforcement action.”
In a statment, Healey said ICE’s presence at courthouses, “creates confusion and chaos and is deterring witnesses, victims and litigants from coming to court. It has resulted in the dismissal of charges and release of defendants.”
“Judges are telling us that ICE’s presence is keeping away victims and witnesses. Here’s what that means: It means that people who are charged with crimes are not having those cases prosecuted,” Healey said.
She also said school enrollment has declined “dramatically” this year in districts with high populations of immigrant students. Health care providers have also been reporting that more immigrant families are skipping medical appointments, delaying care, or canceling their health insurance because they fear being detained by ICE.
Dozens of other state and local leaders voiced their support for the legislation, including Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
“As an immigrant myself and as a Bishop ministering here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I can affirm that many among the good people we serve are experiencing or living in constant fear and distress,” said Bishop Cristiano Borro Barbosa, Archdiocese of Boston.
Healey said she will do everything in her power to make sure the new legislation is enforced across the state.
“We’ll do everything we can to make sure that it’s upheld and that people are protected,” she said. “I mean again, I say, don’t bring the fight.”
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