Kelly Garrity, “Progressives push for preemptive action on Trump 2.0,” POLITICO, December 11, 2024.
NOW NOT LATER — With just over a month until Donald Trump returns to the White House, more than a dozen progressive and grassroots groups are urging the state’s Democratic leaders not to wait to strengthen state laws for rights they say are likely to come under fire in the next administration.
In letters sent to Gov. Maura Healey and top legislative leaders, the coalition calls on Beacon Hill’s Big Three to get the ball rolling now, before the current legislative session ends on Dec. 31.
“States like Massachusetts have a responsibility to lead and push back: we must refuse to comply everywhere we can, we must shore up protections for marginalized communities in the Commonwealth, and we must chart a clear course for what accountable progressive governance looks like and how it delivers for us all,” the letter to Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano reads.
The organizations backing the push: Signatories include groups like Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition, Progressive Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Act On Mass and Our Revolution Massachusetts.
What they want: The groups are asking Healey to call the Legislature back for a formal session “as soon as possible.”
They’re also calling on the governor to create a “legal defense fund” that would support civil rights litigation, and are urging Healey to join Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ “Governors Safeguarding Democracy” group.
And they want to see the Legislature pass bills that would ensure no state resources are used in assisting federal immigration enforcement and end ICE detention in the state.
