Four weeks after Gov. Maura Healey filed a bill proposing new limits on federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, one of Beacon Hill’s top lawmakers suggested consensus around immigration legislation could still be a ways off.
“We have 160 members that represent the full spectrum of people outside the chamber,” House Speaker Ron Mariano said during the event hosted by MASSterList and State House News Service. “We have people who are opposed to doing anything, and we have people who think we don’t do nearly enough, that the money we’ve spent in housing immigrants and making sure that they’re protected, their rights are protected, it’s too much. So it’s a balance.”
Healey’s bill, filed in late January,seeks to restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in courthouses, day cares, schools, hospitals and churches. The Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus has also put forward its own proposed immigration reforms.
When Healey announced her bill from the State House’s Grand Staircase, state Senate President Karen Spilka was among the supporters gathered around her. Spilka said then she wanted to pass Healey’s plan and additional protections into law, soon.
Before Spilka can call a Senate vote on the bill, it must first clear the Massachusetts House.
Sitting alongside Spilka at the downtown Boston event Wednesday, Mariano said House leaders have been talking to representatives “to find out what is possible” on immigration policy.
House leaders convened a series of closed-door meetings with representatives to discuss immigration policy earlier this month. Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, said they also “continue to work” with lawmakers in the Black and Latino Caucus.
“The real quest is to get 81 people who agree on a policy that protects the immigrants that come into our borders,” Mariano said, referring to the number of “yes” votes needed for a bill to pass the House. “Not always easy. There’s not always a bright line, but through discussions and trial and error in some cases, we will get there and we will continue to work on it. It is not something that comes overnight.”
Healey made her immigration proposal somewhat time-sensitive by attaching the policy to a spending bill she wants to see passed by the end of April.
Asked Wednesday by the event’s host, political journalist Jon Keller, if she thinks the state is doing everything it can to protect immigrants, Spilka said she understands the frustration from advocates who want more action. She said the Constitution leaves immigration in the hands of the federal government.
“It’s interesting, just even this last week, I’ve gotten news alerts that several states have come out just recently with newer ideas, newer bills, to curb what Trump is doing with immigration,” said Spilka, an Ashland Democrat. “I feel really strongly about this issue. I look at what ICE is doing, and I feel like it’s taking us back to the 1930s with the Gestapo going around, rounding up people, and it disgusts me, it enrages me, and I believe we need to try to do everything that we can.”
Spilka also voiced interest in a bill filed by one of her top deputies, Sen. Will Brownsberger of Belmont. She said Brownsberger’s bill would allow Massachusetts residents to sue an ICE agent who violates their civil rights.
“We are willing to push the bounds, try new things and, again, protect our residents, and defend our values,” she said.
Mariano said he understands that advocacy groups see a need to “keep the pressure on.”
“It’s good for our members to see the pressure, to know that people are still concerned about what’s going on,” he said. “If you watched what went on in Minnesota, we’re all worried about what’s going on. We don’t need much to stir our memories.”
