Immigration bill draws protests from Mass. activists
BOSTON (AP) — Republicans on Wednesday urged the Democratic-controlled Legislature to respond quickly to a court ruling that forbids police officers in Massachusetts from holding a person solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer.
Immigration activists repeatedly interrupted the House GOP lawmakers with chants of “keep hate out of our state” during a news conference at the Statehouse to discuss the bill they filed after Monday's ruling by the state's highest court.
The legislation would give police officers broad power to arrest and hold an individual, without a warrant, if the officers or the law enforcement agency they serve have a lawfully-issued immigration detainer from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Supreme Judicial Court said Massachusetts law does not currently give officers that authority, absent a criminal violation or other reason to keep a person in custody.
The American Civil Liberties Union praised the decision, calling it a first of its kind in the country.
Republicans argued it would put the safety of the state's residents at risk.
“This ruling ties the hands of all law enforcement officers and prohibits them from doing their jobs, which is to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Shauna O'Connell, of Taunton. “It makes Massachusetts a safe haven for illegal immigrants. It opens the floodgates and says ‘if you come here, you get a get out of jail free card.’”
There was no indication that Democrats would consider the Republican bill anytime soon. Some legislators, in fact, had already been supporting, prior to the SJC ruling, a bill that would sharply limit cooperation between federal immigration officials and state and local law enforcement agencies, making Massachusetts a de facto “sanctuary state.”
Patricia Montes, executive director of Centro Presente, an organization that supports Latino immigrants, said the Republican bill was driven by “hate and ignorance.” She led a small group of protesters who frequently interrupted lawmakers as they tried to address reporters.