Across the U.S., immigrant families have been living in fear, not just of enforcement agents, but also of local police and courts, which this administration has tried to turn into ICE extensions. In Massachusetts, we’ve responded by adopting and strengthening welcoming policies in dozens of communities. Now it’s time to ensure that everyone in our Commonwealth enjoys those protections.
The Safe Communities Act, filed this term as S.1401 (Sen. Jamie Eldridge) and H.3573 (Reps. Ruth Balser and Liz Miranda), is slated to be heard by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in early December. It has four key provisions, backed by a broad-based and diverse coalition:
- Ensures police and court officials do not ask about immigration status;
- Protects basic rights, just like a “Miranda” warning;
- Creates standards for law enforcement interactions with ICE;
- Ends 287(g) contracts that deputize officers as ICE agents.
Will you contact your legislators today and urge them to advocate for the SCA with leadership and with their colleagues?
Use our form to email your legislators right away. If you have 3 more minutes, call them too (find their numbers here). They need to hear from us time and again, so let’s keep up the pressure!