Immigration bill on ice

Some folks on Beacon Hill are willing to go to extremes to make it more difficult to deport illegal immigrants. Yesterday we caught a glimpse at some of the fine folks who might benefit if they were to have their way.

There’s the inmate who is set to be released from state prison next year after two decades behind bars for a violent home invasion; one awaiting release after a conviction for holding his girlfriend against her will and repeatedly raping her; and the child rapist set for release in 2027.

A partnership agreement between the state Department of Correction and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement helps to ensure prisoners like those are released not back into the community immediately, but into the waiting arms of the feds.

But a pending bill would forbid the use of state funds to implement such agreements, giving inmates a head start upon release.

Yesterday House Speaker Robert DeLeo said that bill is unlikely to see the light of day anytime soon; here’s hoping that’s Beacon Hill-speak for “ever.” As the Herald reported yesterday, the DOC employs two officers whose job is to implement the agency’s agreement with ICE. If the bill sponsored by Rep. Antonio Cabral (DNew Bedford) were to pass, that probably wouldn’t be permitted.

“This program is bipartisan, and the idea that it is outside the bounds of what good, solid law enforcement should look like is, by any definition, ridiculous,” Gov. Charlie Baker said this week.

Advocates fret that agreements like the DOC’s could create a “slippery slope.” Surely the public is more concerned about violent criminals returning to live among them, when by rights they should be put on the next plane home.