Lawmakers heard testimony Friday on whether Massachusetts should become a so-called sanctuary state, setting the stage for a showdown between controversy-averse moderates and progressives looking for a way to rebuke President Donald Trump's agenda.
Activists packed two hearing rooms to tell lawmakers that state and local law enforcement should be barred from collaborating with federal immigration authorities like ICE.
"ICE agents have been targeting courthouses, places of worship, shelters and schools, to indiscriminately identify and detain immigrants in our communities," said Sen. Jamie Eldridge, the Senate sponsor of the Safe Communities Act.
Supporters of the bill say the Safe Communities Act will encourage undocumented immigrants to report crimes.
"If you send a message to immigrant communities that local and state law enforcement are complicit, are involved in deportations, immigrant communities are much less likely to talk to police, to reach out to the police chief, to have that trust, to report crimes in their communities and their neighborhoods," Eldridge said.
But Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson told the committee he wouldn't abide by the bill if it becomes law.
"This bill trades the safety and security of our citizens and legal residents for the comfort and concealment of criminal illegal immigrants," Hodgson said.
In his testimony, Hodgson said he considers the bill an act to turn Massachusetts into a "sanctuary state."
"Making Massachusetts a sanctuary state restricts our relationship with ICE. Why in the world should we work with less law enforcement agencies? Why should we share less information?" Hodgson testified.
The double hearing rooms were filled with passionate advocates for both the adoption and rejection of the bill, with both sides offering scattered applause throughout. Public Safety Chairman Rep. Hank Naughton chided a crowd of activists for the bill when they hissed in response to Hodgson's testimony.
Rep. Juana Matias said life in immigrant communities like her home of Lawrence has changed since President Trump entered office and that arrests for non-criminal immigrants has tripled in New England since January.
"Our communities have been horribly disrupted. We have heard from hundreds of community partners some of which you will heard from today, across the state, of the fear and trepidation that immigrant families are facing and living with," Matias, the House sponsor, testified.
Gov. Charlie Baker is firmly against making Massachusetts a sanctuary state, preferring to let cities and towns decide.
"Our administration does not support making the Commonwealth a sanctuary state and urges the Legislature to hold this bill in committee and reconsider ways to ensure Massachusetts remains a welcoming place while maintaining public safety," Baker wrote in a statement.
