Every day, we hear new horror stories about families being ripped apart at the border and the terrible conditions that children seeking asylum are held in.
We can — and must — continue to lobby our elected officials in Washington to do all they can to close the dystopian detention camps and craft a humane immigration system.
But there’s work to be done in Massachusetts, too. Police officers in Massachusetts are being deputized by ICE to act as immigration officials, ripping families apart and forcing our immigrant friends and neighbors to live in fear.
Massachusetts, we can do better.
The Safe Communities Act (SCA) will enable us to do so.
The SCA has five key parts:
- Barring law enforcement and court personnel from inquiring about immigration status
- Protecting due process rights
- Setting standards for law enforcement and court officials to notify ICE only when a person is released after serving a sentence, not before.
- Ending contracts with ICE that allow state and county personnel to act as federal immigration agents, at state taxpayers’ expense.
- Providing crucial training and accountability
This — not ripping families apart — is what true public safety looks like.
Can you call your state legislators in support of the Safe Communities Act (S.1401/H.3573)?
You can find out if they are already a co-sponsor here.
- If they are, thank them and ask them to pressure their colleagues and Leadership about the urgency of the bill.
- If they aren’t, put on the pressure to make sure that they are.
