Letter: “A call for action to stop complicity with ICE actions”

Kelene Blumstein, “Letter: A call for action to stop complicity with ICE actions,” The Harvard Press, February 20, 2026.

According to reliable news reports, ICE’s violent actions are happening across the country, including in Massachusetts. We must not allow this to happen in Harvard—or anywhere. In my opinion, these operations make our communities less safe.

The Department of Homeland Security is systematically abusing its authority through unlawful raids, while spreading propaganda and misinformation to justify its actions. This climate of aggression undermines public safety and erodes trust in all law enforcement.

Massachusetts cannot stop everything ICE is doing, but we must stop being complicit.

Gov. Healey and state legislators are finally hearing the public’s demand for action—but it matters that we pass legislation that truly meets this moment.

We must demand that:

  • State and local law enforcement do not assist ICE or act as ICE agents.
  • Massachusetts law enforcement never assist ICE in civil immigration arrests or ask people about their immigration status.
  • ICE’s 287(g) program—which turns local officers into ICE agents—should be ended. Massachusetts is the only blue state with a 287(g) agreement. Gov. Healey can end this with a stroke of the pen.

Let’s demand that our legislators pass the Safe Communities Act, the PROTECT Act, and the Dignity Not Deportations Bill.

These bills would:

  • Truly separate local police from ICE.
  • End all 287(g) agreements.
  • Protect access to courthouses and schools.

Let’s keep our police focused on community safety.

Kelene Blumstein, Littleton Road

Tell Gov. Healey: OpenAI Contract Needs to Be Open

Last Friday, Governor Healey committed Massachusetts to a three-year, multimillion-dollar contract with OpenAI, a company that has been in the news recently for collaborating with ICE, to deploy its AI tool for the Executive Branch’s 40,000 employees.

Healey did this upon the recommendation of the Commonwealth’s industry insider-dominated “AI Strategic Task Force,” but without consulting state workers.

As Beacon Hill works on passing new data privacy protections, Massachusetts residents should also be concerned about how Healey’s new partnership would handle sensitive data. We can’t know because the contract has not been released.

Workers, civil rights advocates, and consumer advocates need to be at the table to decide how new technologies will be embraced, not just those who will profit from them.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Contact the Governor’s office. Call (617) 725-4005 or use this email tool. Ask for the release of the full procurement documents and the data processing agreement, and ask why workers, consumer advocates, and civil rights advocates were excluded from this decision.
  • Contact your State Representative and Senator. Email your state legislators to ask whether the Joint Committee on Advanced IT plans to hold hearings on this contract. Find their emails here.

Letter: “Stop ICE in Massachusetts “

Al Blake, “Letter: Stop ICE in Massachusetts,” Berkshire Eagle, February 18, 2026.

To the editor: Every day, we see horrific violence by federal immigration agents across the country, including here in Massachusetts.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions are making all of our communities less safe. Berkshire residents have turned out in big numbers to protests and standouts demanding that our elected leaders do more leading and stand up to the cruelty and lawlessness of the Trump administration.

There was a recent surge of ICE activity in Maine, and Massachusetts could be targeted next, so we must stop being complicit. Gov. Maura Healey and Beacon Hill legislators are finally getting the memo that the public wants to see action. But it matters that we pass legislation that truly meets the moment. Beacon Hill should make it clear: State and local law enforcement should not be assisting ICE and should not be acting as ICE agents. Massachusetts law enforcement must never assist ICE in making civil immigration arrests or ask members of the public about their immigration status. We are the only state with a Democratic governor and Democratic-majority Legislature to still have a statewide 287(g) agreement with ICE. Gov. Healey can end this collaboration with a stroke of the pen.

Al Blake, Becket

2026 Annual Meeting Videos & Links

Thanks to everyone who joined us on the 31st!

You can watch Senate candidate interviews here.

If you’re interested in learning more about what’s involved in starting a chapter in your community, email chapters@progressivemass.com.

Hope to see you soon!

In Solidarity,

Progressive Mass Team

Yes for a Safe MA

Campaign website: yesforasafema.com

Campaign email: info@yesforasafema.com

Key takeaway: The more Massachusetts voters understand the law, and what’s at risk, the more likely they are to vote in our favor. We encourage folks to sign up to get involved and take action by donating, endorsing (as individuals or organizations), hosting an event, or volunteering.

Rent Control

Campaign website: https://www.keepmasshome.com/

Legislative campaign: https://www.homesforallmass.org/policy/

Legislative Reform

Slide Deck: LINK

Campaign website (Stipend Reform): https://www.stipendreform.com/

Campaign website (Public Records): https://www.dianaforma.com/ballot

Saving Our State from the Greedy Tech Bros

Campaign website: https://www.protectmassachusettsfuture.com/

Join an upcoming action: https://forms.gle/opNdicweBFdiUyzK8

Voter Contact 101

Slides: LINK

State Budget

Slide Deck: LINK

MassBudget’s website: https://massbudget.org/

MassBudget’s preliminary analysis of the Governor’s budget proposal: https://massbudget.org/2026/01/28/massbudgets-preliminary-analysis-of-governor-healeys-fy-2027-budget-and-fy-2026-supplemental-budget-proposals/

Sign up for the March 3rd MassBudget webinar on funding affordable housing through a real estate transfer fee on high-priced home sales: https://secure.massbudget.org/np/clients/mbpc/event.jsp?forwardedFromSecureDomain=1&event=54

Sign up for MassBudget’s mailing list:https://secure.massbudget.org/np/clients/mbpc/subscribe.jsp?subscription=34

Care Not Cages

Slides: LINK

If people are looking to donate, these are fundraisers for families impacted by immigration enforcement across MA: Operationmilkweed.org

Join LUCE: lucemass.org

Join BIJAN (accompaniment and bond): https://www.beyondbondboston.org/join

Overview of immigration detention: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-timeline

Tell Congress to stop ICE detention: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/464bfff89caa6e21cda6427cbcea52b9

PLYMOUTH

– To understand more about the relationship between detention capacity and ICE Arrests: https://www.ilrc.org/resources/if-you-build-it-ice-will-fill-it-link-between-detention-capacity-and-ice-arrests

– To read about detention in Plymouth County Correctional Facility over 25 years: https://www.bu.edu/law/files/2024/09/ICE-detentions-plymouth.pdf

Holding DAs and Sheriffs Accountable

Slide Deck: LINK

Additional DA resources:https://www.aclum.org/campaigns-initiatives/what-difference-da-makes-0/

Additional Sheriff resources: https://www.aclum.org/know-your-sheriff/

PM in the News: Boston Globe on Fare Gates

Ian Philbrick, “The new fare gates at South Station are annoying. They’re also part of the answer to a bigger problem.,” Boston Globe, February 13, 2026.

Gates can also become bottlenecks that slow commutes. “It is a tax on people if you’re stuck waiting in line,” said Jonathan Cohn, the policy director for Progressive Mass, which supports fare-free public transit. And that’s assuming they work; last month’s snow appears to have temporarily knocked the gates out of service.

….

For Cohn, the fare gate debate is a chance to change how public transit works. “Whenever I see lots of money being put into combatting fare evasion, it always just ends up reinforcing to me why fare-free public transit is a good goal.”

Testimony: MA Needs to Opt Out of Trump’s Regressive Tax Cuts

Thursday, February 12, 2026 

Chair Madaro, Chair Eldridge, and Members of the Joint Committee on Revenue: 

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director at Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group fighting for a more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic commonwealth.

Since taking office just over a year ago, the Trump administration, along with the Republican Congress, have been hard at work to redistribute wealth in this country upwards and to take an axe to government services. They have been clear that their agenda is to make government work worse for everyday people: less responsive, less knowledgeable, less efficient. 

The regressive corporate tax cuts in the “Big Ugly Bill” were central to that agenda: they exist to increase the economic and political power of the rich and to force cuts to essential services that we all rely on. 

Last summer, our Congressional delegation was united in voting NO on that bill. We should send a clear NO to allowing the tax changes from it to be automatically written into our tax code. 

The Governor’s proposal to protect Massachusetts from the massive budget impact of the Trump corporate tax cuts this fiscal year is important, but it’s not enough: we shouldn’t adopt these Trump’s regressive corporate tax breaks at all.

Permanently preventing state-level adoption of the Trump corporate tax cuts would preserve  $463 million in state revenue in this year’s budget alone and an additional $990 million over the next five years. That is money that can be invested in health care, in education, in food assistance, in transportation, and in so much more, at a time when the federal government is no longer a partner but often an active saboteur. 

We don’t need to bribe corporations by throwing money at them for research investments they made years ago in other states. Our investments in our Commonwealth are what make it a good place to do business. The idea that we would spend vital resources on such corporate handouts when our state remains one of the most unequal is galling. 

When we fight to do big things in the Commonwealth, we so often hear that “we don’t have the money.” That same line is rarely invoked when it comes to corporate handouts. But let me be clear: we don’t have the money to do this right now given looming federal cuts. 

Other states across the country have already taken action. Let’s not wait too long to join them. 

Sincerely, 

Jonathan Cohn 

Policy Director 

Progressive Massachusetts 

Hell World: “Maura Healey declines to end state’s partnership with ICE”

Andrew Quemere, “Maura Healey declines to end state’s partnership with ICE,” Welcome to Hell World, February 10, 2026.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Mass, said the group was “glad to see that Governor Healey is finally being more vocal about ICE’s abuses.”

“However, it is disappointing to see that she still refuses to terminate the only existing 287(g) collaboration agreement in the state,” he added. “This agreement uses our state employees to do ICE’s work. It is unconscionable to think that Massachusetts is doing anything to make ICE’s work easier when they are acting like a rogue agency of death squads.”

Just Say NO to Trump’s Regressive Corporate Tax Giveaways

Trump’s corporate tax cuts are going to cost Massachusetts nearly half a billion dollars this year alone — on top of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other federal programs we rely on.

Here’s why: States use the federal tax code as a starting point to calculate how much people and corporations owe in taxes. Trump’s changes to the federal tax code cut taxes for the rich and large corporations. So, unless we act now, these cuts will be baked into our state’s tax code, meaning big tax cuts for the rich and large corporations.

We don’t have to let this happen. Tell your lawmakers now: reject Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires and protect Massachusetts.

Gov. Healey recently introduced a bill that starts to address the problem. But there’s a catch: although her bill would defer these regressive corporate tax handouts for this budget cycle, it leaves them in place for future ones. Regressive corporate tax cuts are bad this year, and they will still be bad next year.

As we already face a budget crisis due to Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, we can’t afford even more cuts to health care, food assistance, education, and other essential public services.

States like California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, as well as the District of Columbia, have already taken action to address this problem. Massachusetts should join them.

Can you write to your state legislators today?

EMAIL YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS

Already emailed your state legislators about this? Then call their offices to follow up.

2026 US Congress

2026 Congressional Elections

 

Progressive Massachusetts will be collecting questionnaires from candidates running for US Congress. Over the course of the first half of the year, we will be inviting our members to vote on whom and whether to endorse. Stay tuned for updates! 

US Senate

Candidates seeking Democratic Party nomination: Ed Markey (incumbent), Seth Moulton, Alex Rikleen

Candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination: John Deaton

Other candidates running in the general election: Joe Tache (Party for Socialism and Liberation), Shiva Ayyadurai, Morgan Dawicki 

Seth Moulton declined to submit a questionnaire, noting an aversion to “yes/no answers,” and has thereby withdrawn himself from our endorsement process.

Watch interviews from our 2026 annual meeting here. 

Dates to Know

  • Thursday, February 19, 2026 – Sunday, March 22, 2026: Democratic ward and town committees around the state hold caucuses to elect delegates to send to the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention.
  • Saturday, May 30, 2026: The Massachusetts Democratic Party holds its annual convention in Worcester, at which each candidate must receive at least 15% of delegates present to make the primary ballot.
  • Tuesday, September 1, 2026: Primary for Congressional, legislative, and county elections
  • Tuesday, November 3, 2026: General election for Congressional, legislative, and county elections

Read the questionnaires:

Ed Markey
Alex Rikleen
Joe Tache

MA-01

Incumbent: Richard Neal (D) 

Challengers: Jeromie Whalen (D), Nadia Milleron (U)

Communities in the District:

  • Berkshire County (all)
  • Franklin County: Charlemont, Hawley, Monroe, Rowe
  • Hampshire County: Belchertown, Cummington, Easthampton, Granby, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, South Hadley, Southampton, Ware, Worthington
  • Hampden County (all) 
  • Worcester County: Brookfield, Charlton, Dudley, East Brookfield, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oxford, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Warren, Webster (Precincts 1A, 2, 5), West Brookfield

Watch Congressional candidate interviews here. 

Read the questionnaires:

Jeromie Whalen

MA-04

Incumbent: Jake Auchincloss (D) 

Challengers: Christopher Boyd (D), Jason Poulos (D) 

4/7/2026: Ihssane Leckey dropped out of the race. 

Attleboro,  Bellingham, Berkley, Blackstone, Brookline, Dighton, Dover, Fall River, Foxborough, Franklin, Freetown, Hopedale, Lakeville, Mansfield, Medfield, Mendon, Milford, MIllis, Millville, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Norton, Plainville, Raynham (Pcts 2A, 3, 4), Rehoboth, Seekonk, Sharon, Sherborn, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Wellesley (Pcts E&F), Wrentha

Read the questionnaires:

Christopher Boyd
Ihssane Leckey
Jason Poulos

MA-05

Incumbent: Katherine Clark (D) 

Challengers: Jonathan Paz (D), Tarik Samman (D) 

Communities in the District: Arlington, Bedford (Precinct 2A), Belmont, Cambridge (W3P3A; W4P2; W6 P1A, 2, 3; W7; W8; W9; W10P1A, 2; W11P3), Framingham, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Revere, Stoneham, Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland,  Wellesley (Pcts A-D, G, H), Weston, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn

Watch Congressional candidate interviews here. 

Read the questionnaires:

Jonathan Paz

MA-06: OPEN

Incumbent: Seth Moulton (D) 

Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination: Beth Andres-Beck, John Beccia, Jamie Belsito, Rick Jakious, Dan Koh, Mariah Lancaster, Tram Nguyen

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination: John Field, Micah Jones 

Communities in the District: Amesbury, Andover, Bedford (Pcts 1-4), Beverly, Billerica (Pcts 3-5, 9, 10), Boxford, Burlington, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Gloucester, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Peabody, Reading, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Wakefield, Wenham, West Newbury, Wilmington

Watch Congressional candidate interviews here. 

Read the questionnaires:

Beth Andres-Beck
Jamie Belsito
Mariah Lancaster
Tram Nguyen

MA-08

Incumbent: Stephen Lynch (D)

Challengers: Patrick Roath (D)

Communities in the District:

  • Abington, Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Easton, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton (Pcts 3, 4, 6-9), Norwood, Quincy, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Weymouth, Whitman
  • Part of Boston
    • Harbor Islands (W1 P15)
    • North End (W 3P1-4, W3 P10&11)
    • West End (W3 P5 & P9)
    •  Downtown (W3 P6, P12, P13) 
    • Chinatown (W3 P8) 
    • Beacon Hill (W3 P17; W5 P3-5, P11)
    • Back Bay (W5 P6 – 8) 
    • South Boston (W6 P1 – 10, W7 P1-7) 
    • Seaport (W6 P11&12) 
    • Dorchester (W7 P8 – 10; W13 P3, 7-10; W16 P2, 5, 7-12)
    • Jamaica Plain (W11 P9&10, W19 P1-6, 8, 9)
    • Roslindale (W20 P1, P2, P4, P8, P9) 
    • West Roxbury (W20 P5-7, 10-21)

Watch Congressional candidate interviews here. 

Read the questionnaires:

Patrick Roath

MA-09

Incumbent: Bill Keating (D)

Challengers: Craig Swallow (D)

Communities in the District:

  • Barnstable County (all)
  • Bristol County: Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Raynham (Pcts 1, 2, 4A), Westport
  • Dukes County (all) 
  • Nantucket County 
  • Norfolk County: Cohasset 
  • Plymouth County: Bridgewater, Carver, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, Rockland, Scituate, Wareham

Watch Congressional candidate interviews here. 

Read the questionnaires:

Craig Swallow
Return to Elections & Endorsements >>

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