If a new bill currently under consideration by the Massachusetts legislature becomes law, the Bay State will join Illinois and Oregon as one of the most extreme sanctuary states in the U.S.
Local media outlet Boston.com reported Sunday that state lawmakers are weighing passage of the Safe Communities Act, a proposal that would add new protections for illegal immigrants, whom sponsors of the bill claim are living in abject fear amid the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.
Approval of the SCA would be disastrous for the state. Just as the ironically named Inflation Reduction Act hid its true intent, the deceptively named Safe Communities Act would make Massachusetts a far more dangerous place.
The SCA is described on the government’s website as an effort to “protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents.” That includes the “rights” of those who have violated federal law by entering the U.S. illegally.
Companion versions of this bill have been filed in the Senate by State Sens. James Eldridge and Liz Miranda, and in the House by State Reps. Manny Cruz and Priscila Sousa. All four of these lawmakers are Democrats.
A fact sheet from the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA Coalition) starts with the following premise:
It’s time to end the voluntary involvement of our public safety officials in civil immigration matters. … Because civil immigration enforcement is not our job.The new federal administration will use every tool available to deport members of our immigrant communities, including our police and courts. This misuse of public safety resources drives a wedge between immigrant communities and the public institutions that protect and serve them.
According to the fact sheet, the proposal centers around four key provisions intended to bolster public safety in matters involving civil immigration, which would:
Ban police and court personnel from asking individuals about their immigration status.
Require officials to obtain “written, informed consent” from immigrants held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prior to being interviewed.
Prohibit officials from contacting ICE “about a person’s pending release from custody, except at the end of a sentence of incarceration.”
Prevent local police and sheriffs from becoming involved in federal immigration enforcement.
What could possibly go wrong?
The MIRA Coalition noted that California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington state have already enacted similar laws that allow local law enforcement to “focus on public safety, not civil immigration enforcement.”
Boston media outlet MassLive reported that lawmakers held a hearing on the bill last Tuesday:
Fear among immigrant communities in Massachusetts has only intensified in recent months as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have sharply increased arrests in the state and across the country, and that anxiety is heightened for immigrants not only at their workplaces, but at shelters, hospitals and train stations.Communities across the state have enacted similar policies, but the bill would create a statewide standard, according to Eldridge.
Touting the considerable backing the bill has already received, the MIRA Coalition claimed that, as of November 30, 23 state senators and 67 state representatives ‘officially support’ the Safe Communities Act.
What the group leaves out is that there are 160 representatives in the state House. (Of those, 134 are Democrats, 25 are Republicans, and one is unaffiliated.)
If only 67 representatives currently support the legislation, that means 93 others, a majority of 58%, oppose it. And that includes 50% of the Democratic representatives. Could it be that even some Democrats grasp how dangerous passage of the SCA would be for the people they represent?
The bill would likely pass the Senate [23 out of 40 senators have endorsed the bill so far].
However, unless House Democrats can whip up an additional 14 votes, the bill would fail.
One Bostonian’s reaction to the SCA in the X post below, reflects how many of us feel:
The “Safe Communities Act” is nothing but an all-out assault on law and order. If this bill passes, Massachusetts becomes the most extreme sanctuary state in America…- Police are banned from asking about anyone’s immigration status.- All local cooperation with ICE is outright forbidden.- NO police department, sheriff, or town can opt out, EVER.- Even criminal illegal aliens get shielded.Gov. Healey and her radical AG, Campbell, will be handcuffing law enforcement, protecting repeat offenders, and spitting in the face of federal law. The Left wants open borders and zero accountability, no matter the cost to your safety or your community.Massachusetts is being sacrificed on the altar of far-left insanity.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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