Massachusetts lawmakers approved sweeping legislation Thursday aimed at protecting immigrants from federal enforcement actions.
Negotiators from the House and Senate said Wednesday that they had come to an agreement on the PROTECT Act — officially “An Act promoting rule of law, oversight, trust and equal constitutional treatment.”
On Thursday, Senate President Karen Spilka announced that the latest version of the bill had passed both chambers and would go to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.
“Today, we took action to protect families, defend the constitutional rights of our residents, and stand up to the fear and cruelty being fueled by Donald Trump’s weaponization of federal immigration enforcement,” Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, said in a statement. “Across our Commonwealth, we are seeing children torn from their parents, students pulled off the street, and families living in fear. We refuse to accept that as normal in Massachusetts, and today this Legislature stood together in making sure our laws reflect that.”
“Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, ICE and Border Patrol agents have continued to harass and disappear innocent Americans with total impunity — a reckless approach that has led to the deaths of American citizens and legal residents, and to children being separated from their families. Those actions have immigrants in Massachusetts living in fear as they go to work or bring their children to school, and they jeopardize the trust that local law enforcement has worked hard to build,” House Speaker Ronald Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, said in a statement shared by Spilka’s office. “That’s why this legislation is so important, as it takes steps to ensure that all residents in Massachusetts are treated equally under state law, and to protect our communities through practical, thoughtful measures.”
The measure was approved on the penultimate day of scheduled formal sessions.
Protecting immigrants has emerged as a priority for lawmakers amid heightened immigration law enforcement efforts spearheaded by President Donald Trump. The Black and Latino Caucus has advocated for swift passage of the legislation, urging lawmakers in May to agree on a law before the start of the FIFA World Cup, which ended on July 19.
Conferees had several differences to sort out in order to get a final bill to Healey.
Source: News – Boston – necn
