Over the past couple weeks, we have seen increased ICE presence in Massachusetts. ICE has been kidnapping people off the streets, harassing bystanders, and terrorizing communities.
The LUCE hotline has been doing amazing work to keep people alert and to document what’s happening. Bookmark https://www.lucemass.org/if you haven’t already.
Although we can’t stop everything ICE is doing in Massachusetts, we should not be making their work easier. We need our state elected leaders to pass legislation to limit the scope of ICE in Massachusetts and to better support our immigrant communities.
Here are four actions you can take:
- Write to your state legislators about key immigrants’ rights bill.
- Write to your state senator about the upcoming state budget.
- Write to Governor Maura Healey to urge her to take action.
- Show up for our Lobby Day on May 28.
Thank you for all you do, and hope to see you on the 28th!
In solidarity, Jonathan Cohn
Policy Director
Progressive Massachusetts
FOUR STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TODAY
(1) Email Your State Legislators about Immigrants’ Rights Bills
We’re proud to be supporting the following bills:
- Safe Communities Act (H.2580 / S.1681), which would end the voluntary involvement of our public safety officials in civil immigration matters
- Dignity Not Deportations Act (H.1588 / S.1122), which would prohibit sheriffs from voluntarily renting beds to ICE and ban agreements to deputize state and local law enforcement to ICE
- Immigrant Legal Defense Act (H.1954 / S.1127), which would ensure that immigrants navigating our complex immigration courts have legal representation
We need our state legislators to be co-sponsoring these bills and building support with their colleagues to bring them to the floor.
(2) Email Your State Senator about the FY 2026 Budget
The Senate released its draft budget proposal last week, and senators will vote on amendments next week. Unfortunately, the Massachusetts State Senate did not include funding for the Immigrant Legal Defense fund. State Senator Adam Gomez filed Amendment #847 to the budget to provide $10 million in funding for public and private-funded programs to provide no-cost immigration legal defense to immigrants in Massachusetts who are at imminent risk of deportation, especially those held in federal immigration detention.
RAPID RESPONSE: Join MIRA on Thursday, May 15th at 10AM at the 4th Floor Cafe in the Massachusetts State House for a lit drop in support of Amendment #847, the Immigrant Legal Defense Amendment. Please email organizing@miracoalition.org to confirm your attendance.
Can’t go? Email your state senator in support of the amendment.
(3) Email Governor Healey to Demand Action
Join the Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts in calling on Governor Healeyto
- Support state legislation, to terminate every state contract funneling money and resources into the deportation machine, and ban new contracts (including the Dignity Not Deportations Bill – H.1588 & S.1122). This includes terminating the existing 287g contracts with the Department of Corrections, and doing everything in your power to end the Intergovernmental Service Agreement with Plymouth County Correctional Facility
- Restore COVID-19 era remote participation in our courthouses
- Create a reparations fund for families and communities shattered by these kidnappings, detentions, and deportations
(4) RSVP for Our Lobby Day
We’ll be holding our annual lobby day on Wednesday, May 28. We’ll be lobbying forkey bills in our legislative agenda, especially bills to raise revenue and to protect our immigrant communities.
Showing up is essential to build the momentum and sense of urgency that propel bills forward into laws.
Progressive Mass 2025 Lobby Day
Wednesday, May 28
10:00 am, Massachusetts State House (Room 428)
