Hardline conservatives in the Massachusetts House are trying to allow local public safety officials to enforce federal immigration laws, a move that would essentially enshrine an anti-“sanctuary” state policy into state law.
The state’s top court ruled Monday that Massachusetts court officers and local police do not have the authority to detain people wanted by federal immigration authorities, a civil crime. The Supreme Judicial Court found that there is no state law on the books that grants local authorities the ability to enforce federal immigration detainment orders.
Rep. James Lyons from Andover wants to create just such a state law. He’s filed a bill with several other House Republicans to let local officers stop and detain people they suspect of being in the country illegally to help prevent more serious crimes.
“The people of Massachusetts deserve to have their communities safe and we believe this is incumbent upon us as a Legislature,” Lyons said at the bill’s rollout Wednesday morning.
Lyons was backed up by several fellow House conservatives and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who has been one of the state’s foremost opponents of “sanctuary” policies that prevent law enforcement officials from
“The bill sends a clear message that Massachusetts is no longer a safe haven for people who violate our laws by entering our country illegally and will serve instead to honor the rule of law,” Hodgson said.
Immigrants rights activists interrupted Lyons, Hodgson and other speakers dozens of times. Protesters lead by Centro Presente executive director Patricia Montes chanted “keep hate out of our state” repeatedly throughout the State House press conference where Lyons and others introduced the bill.
Montes said Lyon’s bill is motivated only by fear of immigrants and backed by anecdotes insteads of facts.
“The thing that is driving that bill is hate and is ignorance. They don’t have the specific data and the message they are sending is that all of us are criminals, that all undocumented people in Massachusetts are criminals, are rapists are drug dealers and that is not the case,” Montes said.
It’s unclear if Lyons and his allies have enough support from other Republicans or conservative Democrats to move the bill forward. Lyons said he expects most of the House’s 35 GOP members to sign on, but admitted that it will take massive bipartisan support to pass.
“It’s up to the Democrats. And every day the Democrats refuse to take action on this kind of legislation they are putting the citizens of Massachusetts at risk,” Lyons said.
A spokesman for House Speaker Robert DeLeo told WGBH that DeLeo had no comment on either the SJC decision of Lyon’s bill.
Gov. Charlie Baker’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Lyon’s bill. On Monday, Baker spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton told WGBH News in a statement that the administration was reviewing the court’s decision and that Baker believes a policy that allows the State Police to cooperate with federal immigration agencies to detain violent offenders “is an important public safety tool to keep Massachusetts safe.
