The Massachusetts House will likely vote in the next few weeks on legislation to block federal immigration authorities from making civil arrests in courthouses across the state.
The latest version of the bill, originally drafted by members of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, also includes other measures that respond to a surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity under President Donald Trump. For weeks, it’s been the subject of both public forums and closed-door discussions among House lawmakers.
“This bill doesn’t exist just to make a point,” said Rep. Andy Vargas, a Haverhill Democrat who chairs the Black and Latino Caucus, at a Thursday press conference. “It exists so that a family in Haverhill or in Chelsea or in Springfield can go to work, seek justice in court, cooperate with law enforcement without fear, and live in a commonwealth that honors the rights and liberties of our Constitution.”
State representatives on the the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee have until Friday afternoon to vote on whether to advance a redrafted version of the bill, a precursor to its consideration by the full House.
The legislation would prohibit civil immigration arrests in Massachusetts courthouses, unless a judicial order or warrant is presented to a judge for review.
GBH News has reported that there were a total of 614 courthouse arrests by ICE in 2025.
Public Safety Committee Chair Dan Cahill said House lawmakers “felt comfortable” that Massachusetts would be able to enforce restrictions on ICE activity inside its courthouse buildings that are run and funded by the state.
“What we don’t want is for people to have a false sense of security or a false sense of hope,” said Cahill, a Lynn Democrat. “We try to be very practical — some would say brutally honest — where we don’t know if those protections can be afforded to them outside of our courthouses. But we know that within the building itself, we can protect all of our residents.”
The bill would also restrict the creation of new agreements that allow state and local authorities to carry out immigration enforcement activities, known as 287(g) agreements. An existing 287(g) agreement with the state Department of Corrections would remain in place.
Cahill said he anticipates a House vote “within the next couple of weeks, between now and sometime in April.” House Ways and Means Committee Chair Aaron Michlewitz said the House will “work towards” taking up the bill before its annual state budget debate in late April.
